


The Cameron Effect | Marauders Era | Book One | Rewriting Editing

by Ejmcmoon



Series: The Cameron Effect [1]
Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Hufflepuff, Marauders' Era, Possession, Special Powers, Twins, Wandless Magic, read this please it's my horcux
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-09-24
Packaged: 2018-08-08 09:35:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7752451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ejmcmoon/pseuds/Ejmcmoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>RATED MATURE FOR LANGUAGE</p><p>"If anyone confronts us about being two minors alone on the Tube, you're deaf and I don't speak English."</p><p>"I am deaf, but last time I checked, you spoke English."</p><p>***</p><p>Mata and Andrea Cameron aren't normal even by wizard standards. Mata's deaf and Andrea's an insomniac. But that doesn't mean they can't kick ass.</p><p>Descendants of the famous Hogwarts founder Helga Hufflepuff, the Camerons are known for their power and their glowing yin yang lockets. Not many people underestimate them.</p><p>But when they start their first year at Hogwarts, Mata and Andrea find themselves being underestimated left and right. They didn't grow up knowing they were Camerons, because with their kind of power, it was too dangerous for them to be near each other for the first ten years of their life.</p><p>And with them back together again, it becomes clear why. The twin sisters are complete opposites. Andrea is a raging tidal wave while Mata is the calm sea on a summer day. Andrea lives on the edge while Mata always thinks everything through.</p><p>But like yin and yang, they were destined to balance each other out.</p><p>After all, it's part of the effect.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> {ON HOLD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE}  
> This is a story my friend and I are writing. She doesn't have an ao3 account, so I'm posting it here. Hope you enjoy

_ *Third Person PoV* _

 

_ *1961* _

 

The cloaked figure pushed the young man forward, and he grunted in pain. His shoulder length auburn hair was a tangled mess, his brilliant blue eyes darting around frantically.

 

“My lord, we’ve found the spy,” the cloaked figure said, discarding his mask. “It is the son of Dante Cameron."

 

The leader stepped forward, eyeing the young man closely. “So this is the rebel. Here, my friends, is the great Adrian Cameron!”

 

The rest of the group--a group who had come to calling themselves the Death Eaters--jeered at their new hostage. The young man growled, and struggled to escape from his bonds.

 

“I know what you are, Riddle!” he spat. “I know you’re a monster, and I know about your plans! You will not succeed!”

 

“Is that so?” the leader sneered, an arrogant smirk plastered to his distorted features. “I did not know that the Camerons’ so-called special powers extended to that of Divination.”

 

The Death Eaters guffawed in the background. Adrian gritted his teeth in frustration. If they hadn’t  _ drugged  _ him, his powers might’ve worked. How the hell did they manage to block his powers, anyway?

 

“My family’s legendary powers are of no concern to you, you son of a banshee!” Adrian retorted,   trying to clear his mind, but the drug was starting to kick in. If he didn’t find a way to find a way to escape soon. . .well, Adrian didn’t want to think about  _ that _ .

 

_ Where’s Newt when you need him?  _ he thought desperately.

 

“So,” Riddle mused, “what shall we do with you? I doubt dear Evelyn would be very happy if she found your dead body in the morning. Or vice versa.”

 

“Don’t you dare hurt Evelyn!” he hissed, feeling sick at the thought of his beloved wife being in danger.

 

“I can do as I please,” Riddle replied smugly. “After all, no one would know if one, insignificant blood traitor went missing, would they?”

 

“You are the traitor, Riddle! You have shamed wizard kind!” Adrian declared. “You have learned what was not meant to be learnt, and  _ that  _ is your downfall!"

 

"Keep talking, Cameron. Talking will not stop your family from being murdered tonight." Riddle turned to the Death Eaters. "We have something to do. Set course for the Cameron Mansion."

 

Adrian's heart sank to his toes.

 

"And you," Riddle continued, turning back to Adrian, "shall stay here. Rosier, take him to the camp."

 

"NO!" Adrian yelled. "You won't  _ touch  _ my family!"

 

Suddenly the ground surrounding him responded to his will, and all of the Death Eaters were lifted off their feet, giving him time to awkwardly stand up, his hands still tied behind his back. Adrian closed his eyes, and cast his mind out to the only person who could help him at that moment.

 

_ "Newt, I need your help NOW! Evelyn's in trouble!" _

 

The next thing he knew, the chains holding him shattered. He looked up into the starry night sky, and saw a sixty-four year old man soaring towards him on a hippogriff.

 

_ Of course he'd be riding on a hippogriff _ , Adrian thought, chuckling.

 

_ "I find brooms a little too temperamental, m'boy,"  _ Newt retorted.  _ "Now get out of there, and go protect my cousin like you promised you would!" _

 

_ "I will,"  _ he vowed.  _ "You got this under control?" _

 

_ "Age doesn't make me weaker, young man! Now GO!" _

 

Adrian didn't need another telling. Just as Riddle moved to Apparate, he jumped forward, and grabbed onto the hem of his robes. He heard Riddle swear under his breath as they both spun on the spot, and landed in the front lawn of Cameron Mansion.

 

"When I married Evelyn, I told her I'd protect her at all costs," he said, smirking. "I'm not breaking that promise anytime soon."

 

"Has your selfless Gryffindor wife rubbed off on you?" Riddle replied, his eyes flashing dangerously.

 

Adrian knocked him over with a mountain of dirt, and ran towards the mansion. "EVELYN! Evelyn! Take the twins, and run! He's here! Riddle's here!" he yelled.

 

The face of his wife appeared as soon as he opened the door. "Adrian, what the he ll did you do?!" she asked, sounding terrified.

 

"I got caught while spying for Dumbledore," he panted, boarding up the door. "Newt helped me out, but now Riddle's here!"

 

"Then we don't have much time," she said grimly. "I'll hide Mata and Andrea in the basement. If Riddle's here, it's not safe to go out."

 

"But--"

 

"Please, Adrian," Evelyn begged, looking him straight in the eye. "I can't lose you to that monster."

 

"You won't," he said, swiftly kissing her on the cheek. "I'll help you hide the twins, and we'll only fight if necessary."

 

"Good." She pulled her long curtain of brown hair into a ponytail. "Let's go."

 

Adrian felt very solemn as he walked into the nursery where his two daughters slept. The first one to wake up was Mata. She stared at him with her brilliant blue eyes that were so much like his.

 

"Dada?" 

 

"Come on, Mata," he said gently. "We're just going to take you down to the basement for a little while."

 

"Where Andwea?" Just as she said this, Evelyn picked up Andrea up from the crib on the other side of the room.

 

"Mama has Andrea," Adrian told her, picking her up gently. He groaned as he heard more men Apparating onto the lawn. "We had better hurry."

 

All four of them rushed down the stairs and into the freezing cold, concrete lined basement. If they were lucky, Riddle wouldn’t notice the tile they had lifted that lead to their sanctuary.

 

Using his magic, mostly wandless, Adrian managed to board up the entry point. “We need a plan,” he told his wife as soon as he was certain they wouldn’t be heard. Evelyn winced as the sounds of a door being blasted open came from upstairs 

 

“We sure do.” Adrian began pacing the concrete floor, a habit of his mostly used to think or calm his nerves. Both, in this circumstance.

 

“If the twins were older, I'd say we Apparate,” he said, eliminating options as they came.

 

“They aren't. We need a plan for now, not three years into the future!” Evelyn answered haughtily, sitting on a nearby bench with the twins bouncing on her knees. 

 

The two girls began to sob. For any other family, it’d be normal for infants to cry during an attack, but the Camerons weren’t normal. Even by wizard standards. A nearby object exploded at the children’s cries, and vines began to climb a wall.

 

“Good lord,” Evelyn gasped at the sight.

 

“Floo?” Adrian suggested, more to himself than her.

 

“Adrian, where are your parents' lockets?” his wife asked, still staring at the destruction her children had caused.

 

After a moment of thought, in which no place came to mind, Adrian decided on summoning the lockets instead of looking for them. “Right here.”

 

Evelyn took the lockets and clasped one around the neck of each child. “Good. Yin for Andrea, and yang for Mata.”

 

“How do you know all this?” he asked in awe, stopping his pacing.

 

“Just trust me. I'm putting the lockets on the twins now because I know they won't choke them; they're enchanted, after all. Didn't you see what just happened?”

 

“Fair--” Adrian began, but the house above him rattled. “Be okay to take the Floo?” He asked hurriedly.

 

“We won't get there on time,” she said gravely. Then she had a lightbulb moment, I guess you could say. “I've an idea.” She let go of the lockets and grinned as they shone brightly. To say her husband was shocked would be a massive understatement. If anything, he was perplexed and a touch worried.

 

“My God. Are they that powerful already?”

 

Mata and Andrea stopped their tears, and the house ceased its rattling.

 

“They're Camerons! What else would you expect?” she said proudly. Then her expression turned grave. “Unfortunately, they're too powerful for their own good.” 

 

The voice of Riddle floated down the stairs, full of anger and slight shock. “What is the meaning of this, Cameron?!” he shouted.

 

“What’s happened now?” Adrian asked, wringing his hands. If it was enough to cause Riddle to ask, it couldn’t be good. His wife chuckled slightly, smiling.

 

“No idea, but it ticked him off.”

 

“Oh, God.” Adrian clutched his head. “Feel that energy?” he asked painfully.

 

Evelyn brought the heel of her hand to her forehead in an attempt to stop her splitting headache. “It'll split my head open!”

 

Riddle yelled in pain from upstairs. “You'll pay for this one, Cameron!” For once, Evelyn decided to hold her tongue. A moment later, a blinding light filled the Cameron manner, leaving everyone blinded to everything around them.

 

It vanished as fast as it came, and their sight returned to them.

 

“Did this happen when you parents. . .you know--?” Evelyn was at a loss for words. Apparently, there was a first time for everything.

 

“I don't remember this ever happening,” he admitted. 

 

“Then how--?”

 

“Retreat, men! Retreat!” Came Riddle’s voice. What would cause him to leave without his goal accomplished?

 

“Riddle sounds awfully muggle, doesn't he?” Adrian chuckled lightly.

 

“Apparently, he grew up in an orphanage full of them, so I'm not surprised,” Evelyn shrugged, holding the twins as she stood.

 

“You think he might be gone?” he asked. The smug look on their infantile faces gave the adults a pretty good answer, but Evelyn invaded Riddle’s labyrinth of a mind just to be sure.

 

“He's gone.”

 

"Good. Shall we go see what these little troublemakers did?" Adrian replied.

 

"Part of me's worried that the house will collapse on us," she fretted. "What else would Riddle run from?'

 

"If it will, the basement's the worse place to be," he reasoned.

 

"One of the many times I'm glad I married a Ravenclaw," Evelyn answered, realizing what he meant.

 

Adrian smiled. "Come on, Love. Let's go," he said, taking Andrea from her, and removing the barricade quickly with wandless magic, feeling a pleasant tingle on his chest as his own locket emitted a soft glow. Leading the way up the stairs, Adrian gasped when he saw what had become of the main room.

 

"Holy shit!" Evelyn breathed.

 

A gigantic swamp covered the wooden floor, while vines cover the walls. Stray Death Eater masks floated in the water. The twins had scared away Riddle with wandless and nature magic combined. Both parents were shell shocked.

 

"I know my parents never did anything like this," he admitted.

 

"They're too powerful to grow up together," she told him, sounding almost frightened. "They're not even two years-old, and this is what happens when we put on the lockets!"

 

"Where would we take them?" Adrian asked.

 

"I've a friend in America. Two really good friends," Evelyn answered. "One is a muggle born, and the other's a pen pal, met her right before I went to Hogwarts."

 

"America sounds good," he said approvingly. "Riddle hasn't taken over much there, has he?"

 

"No, he's just focused on Britain." She gave a small sob. "I'm going to miss these two."

 

"Well, the main problem is accidental magic," said Adrian. "Maybe we can arrange it so that they go to Hogwarts."

 

"I'd murder Dumbledore if they didn't go," Evelyn vowed.

 

"In all honesty, I would, too. Plus, they'd be safe there."

 

“I'll owl them now,” Evelyn said, referring to her friends. She choked up. “Best not to waste time.”

 

“I'll put these two to bed,” he said solemnly, slinging an arm around his wife. She leaned into him.

 

“Yeah,” she chuckled. “Conjuring a swamp from a wooden floor would take a toll on anyone.” Adrian laughed, seeing the girls already asleep, holding hands across their parents. It seemed almost cruel to separate them, but they knew there was no alternative. Evelyn slowly handed Mata to Adrian and watched him trot down a corridor and turn from sight.

 

“They'll be here in a couple of days,” Evelyn said sadly after Adrian joined her at the dining table. 

 

He gave a sad smile. “Good, two more days to be with our little girls.”

 

“Two days are better than none,” she reasoned. “And I don't think Riddle will be in a hurry to come back.”

 

“I don't think he'll be in a hurry to mess with the Cameron twins, either,” he chuckled.


	2. I Meet My Stunt Double

*Andrea's PoV*

 

"Mom," I groaned, with a mix of a whine, as I tapped my foot impatiently. I wanted  _ out  _ of this nut hole! Some would call my house a palace. Me? I call it a prison. Not that I'm necessarily   mistreated, but my adoptive parents were  _ extremely  _ strict, absolutely no fun whatsoever, and I hardly ever got out of the house. My only escape was books. My guardians also insisted on babying me. Even though I've proved countless times that I can take care of myself. 

 

My brunette guardian huffed through her nose at my impatience and set her coffee down slowly. She never was very thrilled of letting me out of her sight for more than an hour, unless I was locked in my room--but even then she'd knock on the door every so often to ensure I was still in there. There was no way she was going to be glad about having me out of her sight for ten months! Finally, she stood up with a look of caution on her face. With the noseless idiot milling around the streets of Britain, I understand her uncertainty. But, really, I could take care of myself! 

 

I finally marched over to her from the door and dragged her with me outside. "I can take care of myself, Mom!" I whined as she fussed over my hair. I swatted her hand away.

 

"I know, Andy, but ten months? That's a long time," she said, looking forlorn. Her brown eyes were trained on our car as we walked. I sighed happily and nodded. A long time to make friends that weren't fictional characters, fall in love with heroes outside of the pages of book, a long time to make enemies matching those of my stories, and a long time away from the nut house I was so anxious to leave. A long time for change. I sighed again.

 

"Yes. It is.” I smiled to myself. I should have felt like a bad person, smiling when I was about to leave the only place I had known for the past year for ten months. But, that's why I didn't. I knew almost  _ nothing  _ outside of the brick walls of my two story home in Godric's Hollow. 

 

Mom choked up a bit, like she usually did before she would cry. "Mom, I'll be at Hogwarts! With witches and wizards! Voldemort's not going to get in. I'll be fine," I said, stopping to look up at her. I ignored her flinch at the name, but--as always--she didn't scold me for it. 

.

"Just. . .promise to write?" she asked hopefully. Why was it that I always felt like the mature one in my adopted family? Even though I wanted to be a complete child, completely insane. Like I was deep down, but always covered up. I nodded. "Once a week?"

 

"Once a month," I bargained. I didn't feel as bad as I should have about saying that. Cutting off ties from them for a whole month only brought a smile to my face. 

 

"But--" Mom protested. 

 

"Would you rather it be not at all?" I asked, playing the same card she would when I argued. She huffed and glared down at me.

 

"Andrea Eve Connor," she said sternly, pointing her finger in my face. When she used my middle name, and my adopted last name, I knew I had messed up. Surprisingly, that didn't scare me. I'd never been grounded a day in my life and I'd never felt the crack of a belt on my backside. Something else to make me hate this place even more. I would be scolded, and told to sit in my room. Neither of which were a real punishment, "do  _ not  _ speak to me like that."

 

"I already did. Nothing I can do about it now." I smirked, flinging my suitcase into the trunk of the black Pontiac. Mom, who's real name was Kambria, spluttered. She couldn't think of anything to say. She huffed indignantly, threatened to lock my bookcase when I came home, and climbed in the passenger seat of the car. My adoptive dad, Rob, was in the driver's seat. I pulled out my book  _ Kindred  _  and closed the trunk. I slid into the torn leather back seats and began reading. The ride was silent, the only sounds were the conversations of characters playing out in my head. 

 

"We're here," my blonde adopted father announced when we pulled into King's Cross. I smiled, placed a necklace to mark my page, and shut my book. I didn't know how far the ride was, but I knew it felt like a second to me. I unbuckled my seatbelt before the car had even begun to slow down and unlocked my door. 

 

My guardians didn't know much about magic--they claimed, so neither did I. But, I did know the feel of something powerful at your control. Mostly because I had caused a tree to fall on a three story house they had almost bought when we first moved to England from America. "See ya at Christmas, Punk?" Rob joked. 

 

"Nope," I said confidently as he popped the trunk and stopped the car. Before I could be questioned, I was out the door, pulling my trunk to the barrier. Professor Flitwick, a squat little man that apparated all the way to America to explain things to me, had told me about Platform 9 3/4. It was a brick column between platforms 9 and 10 that I had to run through. 

 

"Wait up!" Kambria cried as she and Rob ran to catch up with me. I rolled my eyes at them and surveyed my surroundings. I spotted a girl who looked like she could be my stunt double and saw that a dark-skinned woman was fussing over her.

 

"Remember, Mata--if there's any trouble, just owl us and we'll come get you. And don't forget that technique I taught you!"

 

The girl nodded along, looking extremely bored and slightly irritated--as though she had heard this lecture many times before. After a few moments, the woman stopped fussing, gave the girl a kiss on her forehead, and waved at her. The girl looked relieved as she walked away, cautiously pushing her trolley through the crowd and constantly looking over her shoulder to make sure no one was behind her. By the time she was at the barrier, I could only see her back.

 

"You can go before me," I told her kindly. "I'm in no rush."

 

It seemed as if she hadn't heard me, because she didn't answer me or even turn around. I tried again, louder this time.

 

"You can go through the barrier before me, you know!" I practically yelled, earning a disapproving look from Kambria. I guess it was hard to sound polite while you were yelling. "I really don't mind!" The girl didn’t even acknowledge that she had heard anything.  _ Rude,   _ I thought with a huff.

 

Deciding that she obviously wasn't going to answer me, I went around her and charged through the barrier. Rob and Kambria followed. 

 

"Bye, Andy!" my adoptive mother said, starting to actually tear up now. "Be careful!"

 

Suppressing an eye roll, I told her that I would be careful, allowed her to give me a bone crushing hug, and hurried off, wanting to escape from my overbearing adoptive parents.

 

The platform was crowded and busy, filled with parents hugging their children, hooting owls, and meowing cats. I even thought I saw a ferret, but it must've been my imagination; students weren't allowed to bring ferrets to school.

 

"You'd better hurry up and get on the train," said a voice from behind me, "otherwise you'll be late."

 

I whipped around and saw a boy with dark eyes and long, greasy black hair staring at me. I smiled at him.

 

"I was just about to do that," I replied. "I'm Andrea Connor, by the way."

 

"Severus Snape," he said, shaking my hand and forcing a smile onto his own lips. It seemed as though he didn't do that particular action very much.

 

"Nice to meet you, Sev," I answered. Severus brightened up a bit at the sound of the nickname.

 

"You too, Andy." Suddenly I saw the girl who had ignored me earlier. She was struggling through the noisy platform, and the frown etched on her face indicated that she didn't like it at all. Someone bumped into her from behind and she shrieked, like she hadn't expected them to barge into her. She then staggered on one foot and fell right into Sev, who toppled over as well.

 

"Watch it!" he snarled, springing to his feet. I gave him a "Did you really just say that?!" look and thwacked him on the head. I was about to help the girl up, but she was already on her feet and had taken out her wand. Sev--who probably thought she was going to hex him or some sh*t like that--didn't appreciate this.

 

"You don't know any spells yet, so don't even try!" he told her haughtily. The girl rolled her eyes at him and began to use her wand like a pencil, drawing blue letters in the air.

 

**_Oh, I'm sorry that you dress too dark to be seen, Greasy_ ** _ , _ she wrote, her expression mirroring his haughty one.

 

Sev began to say something, obviously ignoring her odd form of communication. I shushed him and started to think. She ignored me earlier, not even flinching when I started yelling at her. And now she was communicating by drawing letters in the air with her wand... 

 

"Sev, she's--" I began.

 

The girl turned to me. **_Deaf. Yeah,_** she clarified. **_But I can still lip read_** **.**

 

"So then you'll understand that I don't like to--" Sev started to say angrily. I honestly thought that he was being a tad bit childish about this whole thing, but I kept my mouth shut. After all, she had been rude, too.

 

**_Calm it, dude_ ** **,** the girl scribbled through the air.  **_I didn't push you off a cliff._ **

 

She walked away and let a wizard dressed in formal robes take her luggage onto the train, before boarding it herself. Severus sent a look of deep dislike at her as she disappeared.

 

"Hey," I told him. "Give her a break. She's deaf."

 

"She's still a rude prat," he muttered, rolling his eyes at the look that I gave him. Seeing that he clearly wasn't going to budge, I decided to change the subject.

 

"Let's just get on the train," I said.

 

"Yeah," he agreed. "Is it okay if we sit with my other friend? I promised that I'd meet her once we both got here, but it seems like she's already on the train."

 

"Sure!" It would be nice to get to know more people, and Sev seemed decent, so then his friend must be as well. I was still curious about that deaf girl, though. I mean, how often is it that you meet someone who could be your identical twin and then find out that they're deaf? There was something odd about her and I knew it.

 

Sev beckoned me forward and together we left our trunks in the luggage cart, before climbing onto the train.

 

"I'd like to change into my robes first," he told me. "That okay?"

 

"Yep!" I answered. "I'll wait for you outside the changing rooms."

 

It didn't take Sev very long to change into his Hogwarts uniform. I figured that he had wanted to get out of his slightly ragged muggle clothes as quickly as possible. Once he was finished, we both made our way down the aisle, looking for his friend. Sev told me that she was a muggle-born named Lily Evans and that he thought she'd like me.

 

After a good ten minutes of searching, we finally found the redhead sitting in a compartment with three other people, staring out the window despondently. I immediately recognized the girl who had knocked over Sev earlier (why did I keep bumping into her?). She was fiddling with a cassette player, looking at it the way I'd look at books. I saw a small grin play across the brunette's lips as she took out the actual cassette tape and started fiddling with that as well.

 

There were also two other boys; one had wavy, shoulder-length black hair and grey eyes, while the other had messy jet black hair, brown eyes, and glasses. They were sitting next to the deaf girl, but naturally, their loud chatter didn't bother her in the slightest.

 

I diverted my gaze to Sev's ginger friend. She looked like she had been crying, and when she finally acknowledged our presence, she told Sev in a strangled voice: "I don't want to talk to you."

 

"But I brought a friend, Lil," he said enthusiastically, gesturing to me. "She really wants to meet you."

 

"I do," I told her, being one hundred percent honest. "I don't really have any friends--save Sev of course. I'm Andrea Connor, but you can call me Andy."

 

Lily gave me a half smile. "Nice to meet you, Andy,"

 

I returned the smile and sat next to her, while Sev sat across from us. We talked for a bit, and I told them about my adoptive parents. Lil told me that she had an older sister who didn't like witches and wizards; I frowned at this. Who wouldn't like magic? It only made life easier!

 

Then the talk turned to the four houses of Hogwarts. Flitwick had explained those to me as well. Gryffindor was for the brave and daring, Slytherin was for the cunning and ambitious, Hufflepuff was for the kind and just, and Ravenclaw was for the clever and intelligent. Gryffindor sounded cool to me, but Sev obviously favored Slytherin.

 

"You two had better be in Slytherin!" he told Lil and I.

 

The messy haired boy with glasses stopped his conversation and looked at us. "Slytherin?" he questioned, crinkling his nose as though he didn't like it one bit. Then he turned to Miss I-Love-Mechanics-More-Than-People, and said, "Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

 

I groaned and mentally face-palmed myself, sharing a "He's an idiot" look with Sev.  _ That's right, Specky. Talk to the girl who can't hear and is too immersed in her cassette player to respond even if she COULD hear. _

 

Naturally, Miss I-Love-Mechanics-More-Than-People didn't answer him. Specky frowned for a split second and then said, "You deaf?" He clearly didn't consider the possibility that she really  _ was  _ deaf and was obviously joking. Though this didn't stop me from whacking him over the head with my book.

 

_ Idiot _ , I thought, giving him a dirty look before yelling, "No f*cking sh*t, Sherlock!" 

 

The deaf girl suddenly jerked her head upwards, put down her mechanics, and studied everyone, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The boy looked extremely embarrassed and slightly bemused.

 

"Oh. I--erm..." 

 

She was staring at him, taking in his expression and body language. It was like she was scanning him or something. Suddenly realization dawned on her face and she looked slightly annoyed. I smirked to myself. That's what he got for joking around with that phrase.

 

The girl took out her wand and started using it like she had back on the platform. Only this time, she wrote on the window instead of using thin air. I figured it was probably easier for her that way.

 

**_Yeah, I'm deaf, doofus_ ** _ ,  _ she said. I couldn't help but snort; the boy's facial expression was priceless. 

 

Then she looked at me, but the piercing and irritated look that she had given the boy was replaced with something else. She looked hopeful.

 

**_Did someone say.._ ** _. _ the girl started to write, before pausing. Her forehead creased, as if she was thinking deeply.  **_...I--_ ** She suddenly stopped writing, mulling it over some more.

 

"Go on," I encouraged.

 

**_I--dee--ote._ **

 

I froze. She couldn't have heard that. First off, she was  _ deaf _ . And second of all, even people who  _ could  _ hear weren't able to hear people's thoughts. 

 

_ Holy f*uck, that's creepy,  _ I thought, wondering what the h*ll was up with this girl and whether or not she'd be able to hear that as well.

 

It seemed like she had, because she flinched and was now rubbing her temples. She picked up her wand again and started writing.  **_I didn't know hearing was supposed to hurt this much._ **

 

I wasn't sure how to respond to that. Did my thoughts give deaf people headaches? Was it thoughts in general? Or were deaf people's mind-ears just really sensitive? (Yes, I said "mind-ears." Deal with it.)

 

Meanwhile, Sev was still glowering at dear old Specky. I could tell he already didn't like the guy, and the fact that Specky had insulted Slytherin--which was clearly Sev's favorite house--didn't make things any better. And by the looks of it, Specky didn't like Sev that much either.

 

I rolled my eyes at their glaring match. It seemed childish to me. Who cared if you were in Gryffindor or Slytherin?

 

The deaf girl suddenly pressed her wand to the window again and said,  **_What's Slytherin?_ ** This confused me because I hadn't thought anything about Slytherin and she wasn't paying attention when we had actually talked about it.

 

I decided to write in the air like she did. Maybe it’d be easier for her. _ A house here at Hogwarts where the cunning and ambitious go.   _ I wrote. __  
  


“My whole family has been in Slytherin,” said the boy next to Specky.   
  


“Blimey,” said Specky, “and I thought you seemed alright.”   
  


Miss I-Love-Mechanics-More-Than-People wrote on the window again, a puzzled look on her face. _I only heard a girl's voice, not you two._ ** _At least, I think I did._** She paused, cleared the cluttered window, and continued writing. **_Anyway, what's wrong with Slytherin?_**

 

The girl suddenly slapped her ears and groaned. “What's wrong?” I asked her, remembering she could read lips.   
  


**_Nothing._ **

 

I wasn’t very convinced, but I didn’t press. Her business was her business, and I usually made it a point to only ask what was wrong once before letting it go.   
  


 

“The people there aren't the nicest,” Specky’s friend said to the deaf girl. He broke into a grin. “Hey. Maybe I'll break tradition.” He then turned to Specky. “Where're you headed, if you've got a choice?”

 

“Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart! Like my dad!” he exclaimed, lifting an imaginary sword.   
  


 

The girl let out a raspy croak which I could only assume was her attempt at a laugh. It was painful to hear, to be honest. Laughing was my favorite thing to do besides reading; I didn’t want to think who I’d be if I was unable to laugh.   
  


 

Severus scowled. I shoved him lightly. “Is that your  _ only  _ facial expression?” I told him, exasperation lacing my words.   
  


 

“You got a problem with Gryffindor?” Specky asked Severus.   
  


 

“Well, if you'd rather be brawny than brainy--” drawled my friend.   
  


 

The boy with dark curly hair cut him off: “Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?”   
  


 

**_Burn!_ ** __ the girl scrawled across the window.   
  


 

I glared at her before stomping on the boy’s foot. “Don't be a bitch!” I exclaimed. I turned on Severus. “You too! Gryffindor actually seems pretty cool and I like to think I have a suitable intelligence.”   
  


 

Lily was glaring at Specky and his friend when she addressed Severus and I. “Come on, you two,” she said, “Let's find another compartment.”   
  


 

I stood, waved at everyone in the compartment, and walked out. Severus stumbled as he followed--Specky had tried to trip him--and Specky’s voice called after him as Severus followed me:

 

“See ya, Snivellus!” I had to clench my teeth to stop myself from waltzing back in there and breaking ol’ Specky’s glasses; I had an extremely short temper, and messing with my friends was one of the many ways to piss me off quicker than normal.

 

Lily, Severus, and I found an empty compartment near the middle of the train and sat down.   
  


 

“Well, they're a bunch of gits,” Severus commented, almost immediately after sitting.   
  


 

“You weren't very un-git-like yourself, Sev,” I snapped. “Though I do agree that the use of 'Snivellus' was a bit much.”   
  


 

“Agreed,” said Lily. After a moment, she asked, “How's that deaf girl going to survive school, though? I know she can most likely lip read, but for other things. . . I mean, I don't think Hogwarts has sign language interpreters.”   
  


 

“Probably quick-quote quills,” said Severus without batting an eye.   
  


 

“Huh?” Lily and I chorused.   
  


 

Severus sighed. “They write down every word someone says.”   
  


 

“Sweet!” I jeered. I’d probably get myself some of those. Keep up on my notes and my sleep; it was always nearly impossible for me to sleep (stupid insomnia!). My mind started to piece together how the girl had thought she’d heard anything when we all knew she couldn’t hear anything at all..   
  


 

“Er, Andy? You okay?” Lily asked after a moment of my silence. She could probably already tell that I didn’t often like to be quiet.   
  


 

Suddenly, everything made sense. Well, some sense, anyway. “Guys, I think she can hear people's thoughts!” It was a seemingly impossible idea, but it was the only thing that made any sense. Besides, you can’t spell “impossible” without “possible”.   
  


 

“How would someone do that?” asked Lily, utterly perplexed.   
  


 

“I dunno,” I shrugged, “but I was the only one thinking 'Idiot' at the time and she'd cover her ears even when we weren't talking.”   
  


 

“So she can hear people think, but not when they're talking out loud?” Lily concluded. “That's jacked up.”   
  


 

I shrugged again. “Life is jacked up.”   
  


 

“I suppose,” Severus agreed.


	3. It's Called Revenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are quite a few ways characters communicate in TCE, so I thought I'd make a key so you know which is which.
> 
> Communication Key:
> 
> Sign Language = Bold  
> Any writing = Bold and Italic  
> Thoughts and Telepathy = Italics

*Mata's PoV*

  
  
“Erm...sorry about not realizing that you--er--” said the boy with glasses. Or, at least, I was pretty sure that was what he said.

 

_**Oh, forget it, Specky.**   _ I wrote, my blue eyes twinkling.

 

Specky started laughing, I think. “You like my glasses?” he asked.   
  


 

**_When did I ever say that?_ **

  


The curly-haired flirt's eyes crinkled in amusement and he grinned at me before turning his attention to the compartment door (trust me, he's a flirt). I followed his gaze and saw that a sandy-haired boy was patiently standing outside. He had pale blue eyes, his face was covered in scars, and he had a book tucked under his arm. 

 

Mr. Flirt gestured for him to come in and he slid open the door.

 

"Can I--?"   
  


Specky nodded and said something else, but I couldn't tell what it was since he wasn't facing me. It was obvious that he had given his permission, because the sandy-haired boy sat down across from me and immediately started reading his book. I huffed through my nose.

 

For some reason, I always got annoyed when people immediately started doing something without introducing themselves first. Don't get me wrong! I was perfectly fine with someone getting lost in their book  _ after  _ they had acknowledged my presence. If I wasn't, I'd be a total hypocrite, because my mechanics become my sole purpose in living once I start fiddling. But at least I  _ try  _ to acknowledge other people the vicinity!

 

Anyway, I ended up poking Bookboy on the nose with my wand--mostly to make him look up at me and to express my annoyance at his poor socializing skills.

 

_**Rude!** _ I wrote, sending him the stink eye.

 

To my amusement, there was a red mark on the spot where I had poked him. Bookboy glanced up at me, looking utterly confused.

 

"What the--?"

 

**_I'm deaf, BOOKBOY_ ** **,** I told him, utilizing the new nickname I created for the fine specimen sitting in front of me.  **_And you didn't even introduce yourself!_ ** __  
  


 

Suddenly I felt someone grip my shoulder and turned to see Specky shaking with laughter. His glasses were on the verge of falling off his nose and his cheeks were red.

 

_ Bug off, Specky _ , I wrote, after cleaning the window for the second time that day. It seemed like I'd have to find a more efficient way of communicating with other people. 

 

Specky shook his head, and I stuck my tongue out at him before turning my attention back to the sandy-haired boy.  _ Well?  _ I scribbled, puffing out my cheeks to emphasize my impatience.

 

He hesitated. "Erm..." He brought out his own wand and tried to write on the window like I did. The results were a bit distorted, but oh well.  **_Remus Lupin._ **

 

So his name basically meant Werewolf McWerewolf. Interesting.

 

_ Nice to meet you _ , I answered.  _ And I can lip read. You don't need to write like that.'Cause you suck at it. _ __  
  


 

Remus looked slightly annoyed at my nonexistent filter, but hid it quickly. "Okay," he said. "What's your name?   
  


 

**_Mata Dunphy_ ** **,** I wrote.

 

He nodded and turned to the two boys sitting next to me. "You two?" 

 

"James Potter," said Specky, a proud smile plastered to his face.

 

"Sirius Black," said Mr. Flirt. A grin spread across my face.

 

**_I'm calling you Siri from now,_ ** I told him.

 

"Then I'm calling you Mats," he answered, his eyes lighting up. 

 

I considered my new nickname for a few moments. I'd never had a nickname before. Holly (my adoptive mother) had always called me Mata and Gregor, her thirteen year-old son, followed suit. This was mostly because he and I weren't very close, and he never bothered to come up with a nickname.

 

**_Fair enough_ ** **,** I said. 

 

I was about to go back to fiddling with my cassette player, but suddenly realized that everyone in the compartment was looking at the door. A squat, plump boy with blonde hair had knocked. He looked extremely nervous--as though he'd been rejected many times. James nodded for him to come in and he slid the compartment door open.

 

“Can I sit here?” he asked.

 

**_Sure_ ** **,** I scribbled.  **_Name?_ ** __  
  


 

The last part was meant to be a joke, but the boy didn't seem to get this. He just looked very confused. Perhaps it was my odd form of communication that had tripped him up.

 

“She's deaf, but  _ can  _ lip read,” James explained.   
  


 

Remus gave me a playful wink. “And she also has an obsession with knowing people's names,” he added, grinning. I picked up the nearest book (which happened to be the one he was reading at that very moment) and whacked him over the head.

 

The boy at the door’s mouth fell into an o-shape. After a moment, he said, “Erm...Peter Pettigrew.”

 

I nodded.  **_Well, come on in!_ **

 

***

 

If there's one thing I've learned during my eleven years on Earth, it's that certain people make an impact on you. Whether it's good or bad depends on the person, but they still leave their mark. And that mark never goes away.

 

The thirteen year-old girl that walked into my compartment on the first day of school left a  _ very, very  _ bad mark on me. And I'm happy to say that I left a similar mark on her.

 

Anyway, this hag waltzed in with her younger sister, giggling her arse off and holding her head high as though she owned the entire train. One look at her and I knew she was trouble.

 

“Can we  _ help  _ you, Bellatrix? Narcissa?” Sirius asked. The unpleasant scowl etched onto his face confirmed my guess that he knew them and didn't like them one bit.

 

_**Yeah,** _ I added, tapping the window after writing to get their attention,  **_didn't your parents ever teach you to knock before entering?_ **

 

Apparently their parents didn't teach them common courtesy either, because both girls continued their laughing fit without even acknowledging the fact that there were five other people present. And I  _ knew  _ they had noticed me, because the older one’s eyes flickered to the window for a split second.

 

Sirius’ scowl was rapidly becoming wider, and I decided to step in before he lost his temper.

 

_**Hello!** _ I wrote--this time in the air--whacking them both over the head with Remus’ book and stomping on their feet.  **_I thought I was the only deaf one around here!_ **

 

The older girl turned on me, sneering. “Look at that, Cissy,” she said, “a freak among witches. You don't see that everyday.”

 

Needless to say, she got huge middle finger sent in her direction. And  _ no _ , it does not mean “screw you” in sign language, idiots.

 

Sirius stood up abruptly, fists clenched. “Get out,” he answered, his eyes slits. I could tell he was about to blow at her.

 

“I don't think we will.”

 

His face turned slightly red in anger and he opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off when the compartment door slid open again. The brunette girl from earlier (who also had the potential of being my stunt double, funnily enough) had entered. She looked soaked to the bone and her expression mirrored Sirius’: absolutely pissed. I could almost imagine the anger in her voice when she spoke.

 

“What the hell was that for?!” she demanded, glowering at Bellatrix and Narcissa. 

 

They simply busted out laughing.

 

After she was finished laughing, Bellatrix smirked at the girl. “It was meant for the mudblood,” she replied.

 

I suddenly had a flashback to when I was nine years old. Someone at Gregor’s school orientation had called Holly “mudblood” and he had threatened to pulverize them if they ever called his mother that again. The only thing that had kept him from beating the crap out of them right there and then was Holly’s pleas to “not turn to violence.”

 

Although, she had looked just as angry as Gregor--if not more.

 

**_Shut your face-hole, hag_ ** **,** I told Bellatrix, my eyes flashing.

 

“You've no right to tell me what to do,” the third year retorted, with her hands on her hips. “Oh, right,” she added after a moment’s pause, “you  _ can’t  _ speak.”

 

_ Be glad that I can't,  _ I thought,  _ because the crap that'd come out of my mouth might puncture your oversized ego. _

 

The girl who had entered our compartment slapped Bella upside the head. “Don't call Lil a mudblood,” she snarled, “and sure as h*ll don't make fun of the girl who can't hear.”

 

Preach, Sista. Preach.

 

“You can't tell me what to do either, Miss Goody Goody.”

 

**_She just did tell you what to do,_ ** I wrote, flashing Bella a cold smile.  **_Deal with it._ **

 

“Who asked for your opinion, you deaf freak?” she sneered.

 

That was the last straw.

 

I stood up and straightened my back so I could get in her face.  _**You have three seconds to get the hell out of this compartment,** _ I warned her.  **_I may be deaf, but that doesn't mean I can't bitch slap you into next month._ **

 

“I think we know a lot more spells than you do,” Bella countered, smirking.

 

“Doesn't mean we can't kick your ass,” the other girl told her. 

 

I pocketed my wand and held up three fingers on my right hand. Bella and Narcissa seemed to get the message but didn't move one inch. 

 

“Two.” The girl held up two fingers. I nodded at her and held up one finger. When Bella and Narcissa didn't budge, I balled my fists and socked the both of them in the jaw.  Narcissa retaliated by taking a large bucket of water that she happened to be holding and dumping it over my head.

 

To say that I was angry would've been a  _ massive  _ understatement.

 

**Piss off, bitch,**  I signed, without realizing it. My hands were my voice and I definitely had a lot to say.  **I gave you three seconds and you failed to heed my warning, so take your bucket of water and f*ck off.**

 

“We don't understand freak language, hon,” Bellatrix told me sneeringly.

 

“Let me give you a hint,” said the brunette girl, eyes narrowed. “She's cussing you out.”

 

She then proceeded to kick them in the shins so hard that they fell over and slam the door in the their faces. I stifled a snort with my hand as Narcissa accidentally hit herself in the face with her own bucket. Served her right.

 

The girl shot them one last glare and turned to the rest of us. “Sorry about that!” she said with an apologetic smile.

 

Sirius winked at her. “'S okay,” he answered. “Been wanting to do that myself actually.”

 

See? Told you he's a flirt. I mean, come on. That wink wasn't  _ really  _ necessary.

 

Apparently she thought so, too, because she rolled her eyes at him and promptly walked out of the compartment.

 

I took my wand out of my pocket and looked at Sirius teasingly.  _**Rejected!** _ I wrote.

 

“Bug off, Mats.”

 

**_Nope._ **

 

Sirius huffed. I grinned cheekily at him.

 

“Sorry about those girls,” he told me after a few moments. “My cousins are gits.”

 

**_You're related to THEM?_ ** I asked, eyebrows raised.

 

He mumbled something under his breath that I couldn't lip read, but I got the gist; he didn't  _ like _ being related to them. And in all honesty, I couldn't blame him.

 

**_Sheesh. And I thought Gregor was annoying._ **

 

“Gregor?”

 

**_Adoptive older brother._ **

 

“You're adopted?” James questioned.

 

I nodded, before realizing that I was still soaking wet.  _ I'll be right back,  _ I told them, grabbing my robes and a clean set of clothes. I'd been prepared to change into my school robes, but not everything else. Stupid gits.

 

As I left to go to the changing rooms, I saw that brunette heading in the same direction. I studied her closely as we walked and noticed that physically we were alike in every aspect. Our eyes, our hands--even the way we scowled. The only thing that could help you tell us apart was my short hair and the yin locket bouncing off her chest.

 

When I saw this locket, I got an uneasy feeling in my stomach and glanced down at my own locket. It was yang and looked like the matching locket to hers. Something wasn't right here. How often was it that you found someone with a matching physical appearance  _ and  _ locket? It just didn't add up.

 

Suddenly another person bumped into me and fell over, getting up and continuing their walk. If they had apologized, I wouldn't know. They probably did, but lip reading is the only way I could understand people in the world of hearing. Besides sign language of course.

 

The aisle was getting a bit too crowded for my liking, so I squeezed by everyone and gave them apologetic smiles if I knocked them over. When we moved to England--and especially the last few months before Hogwarts--Holly had emphasized the importance of surviving in public and being polite. But the thing is, I  _ wasn't  _ polite. Over the years, I had developed a hard shell that almost no one could penetrate. People weren't scared of me like they were in those fiction books where the bad guy is a cold, emotionless robot of destruction--they just thought I was a rude nuisance--which I was.

 

Anyway, when I entered the changing rooms, I was met by a familiar face; it was that redhead--Lily, I think. She had a small smile on her face and it was directed towards the person next to me.

 

“Andy! I wondered when you would get your arse in here!”

 

“I had to deal with a few arse- _ holes  _ first,” Andy replied, chuckling.

 

I let out a snort through my nose. I doubted they noticed, though. I wasn't that good at laughing. My doctor back in America had said that the neglect of my voice had made it a bit rusty. He had offered speech lessons, but Holly said it was too expensive. People I asked said I sounded like a bullfrog when I laughed, which wasn't very helpful since I didn't know what a bullfrog  _ sounded _ like.

 

People are idiots, I tell you.

 

I quickly realized that the conversation between these two girls wasn't meant for me and went to find a stall. As I changed into my robes, I thought about what house I'd get into. I hadn't heard much about Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, but Gryffindor and Slytherin seemed okay. I wasn't that into being brave and daring, but who knew? Slytherin seemed fine. I mean, ambition and cunning were awesome traits. Sirius  _ had  _ said some people there were prats, but then again, ninety percent of my kindergarten class was full of people who wouldn't let me play with them at recess because of my deafness. I still enjoyed kindergarten.

 

There  _ was  _ this one girl who let me join her game, but she left on the first day of school, which was weird. Of course, my whole life couldn't really be considered normal, could it?

 

Once I had finished changing into my robes, I stuffed my wet clothes into a plastic bag and headed out of the changing rooms. On my way back to my compartment, I saw a middle aged man with shoulder-length auburn hair sitting in a compartment with two other girls. He was clearly a teacher, but I didn't know why he was here; teachers weren't supposed to come to school on the train.

 

The man and I held eye contact for a few moments. His eyes bore into mine and I had the unpleasant feeling that he could see into my mind. Mostly because no one stares at you without a purpose. Unless they're a stalker.

 

And middle aged men stalking eleven year old girls is just plain freaky, so I tried not to think about that.

 

When I got back to my compartment, the boys were absorbed in their own things. Remus was reading his book, James was fiddling with a silvery cloth, Sirius seemed to find the window interesting for some unknown reason, and Peter was munching on a sandwich.

 

_ I' **m back, children!** _ I told them.

 

“We’re not your children, Mata,” said Remus.

 

**_So?_ **

 

Remus facepalmed himself. I stuck my tongue out at him.

 

“You're an idiot, Mata.”

 

**_And proud. What's that, Jamesie?_ ** I asked, referring to the silvery cloth in James’ hands.

 

“An invisibility cloak,” he replied.

 

I sat down by the window.  **_COOL!_ ** I wrote. **_Can I borrow it for like, thirty minutes?_ **

 

“To do what?” he questioned, eyeing his cloak protectively.

 

**_To go on a thrilling mission of revenge,_ ** I answered, grinning mischievously.

 

James returned my grin, getting the gist of what I was going to do. “It’s all yours,” he said, handing the cloak to me. “Just give it back when you're done.”

 

**_Of course_ ** **,** I wrote, slipping out of the compartment and throwing the cloak over myself.

 

This was going to be lots of fun.

 

***

 

It wasn't very hard to find Bella and Narcissa’s compartment. Turns out that theirs wasn't very far from mine. I just had to be extra careful while going in, because most people--unlike me--can actually  _ hear  _ you if you just casually stomp into their compartment under the guise of an invisibility cloak (mind blown!).

 

When I got there, I saw the two hags sitting with another older boy. He had blonde hair, pale grey eyes, and an arrogant smirk that seemed to be engraved on his face. His chest was puffed out to show the prefect badge pinned onto his robes and he didn't seem like the pleasant type.

 

The three students seemed to be engaged in a game of Exploding Snap, so when I slid the compartment door open and walked in, they didn't notice me at first.

 

“Who opened the door?” Narcissa asked, frowning.

 

“I certainly didn't,” said Bella, not moving her eyes from the cards she was stacking. “Must've been the wind.”

 

“The wind opened the compartment door?” the boy commented, looking doubtful. “Bella, the window is closed. It couldn't have been the wind.”

 

“Oh, shut up, Lucius,” she snapped as the cards exploded and singed her eyebrow. I grinned. It was the perfect time to act.

 

During the summer, Holly advised me to create signs for all of the spells I had to learn this year because I couldn't say them. Unfortunately, this was easier said than done. Thinking up signs wasn't even the hard part, but making them efficient was a whole other issue. One of the only signs I'd developed that had actually  _ worked  _ was “Wingardium Leviosa.” According to my textbook, if I did the “swish and flick” motion with my wand while saying (in my case, signing) the spell, I'd be able to make things levitate.

 

Pretty cool, right?

 

Anyway, I hoped it worked this time, because Bellatrix and Narcissa  _ definitely  _ needed to learn the meaning of Karma.

 

I took my wand and signed “Alohomora” (another sign that I created. It unlocked things) while sharply waving my wand at Bella’s trunk. The lock undid itself and the trunk lid flew open. The air tensed as Bella, Narcissa, and Lucius froze at the sight.

 

“What the bloody hell just happened?” said Lucius, his eyes widening.

 

“Something odd is definitely going on here,” Bella added, looking slightly freaked out.

 

_ No dip, Sherlock. _

 

I leered and pointed my wand at her hairbrush, getting ready to do the “swish and flick” motion. I held up the W-handshape with my left hand, copied the movement I was already doing with my wand (swish and flick. Duh), and brought it out to the L-handshape. Satisfaction rippled through me as the hairbrush lifted a few inches in the air, completely under the control of my wand.

 

Bella almost fell off her seat in fright, Narcissa shrank into the corner, and Lucius went so pale that his face was the same color as whipped cream. And it was all I could do to stuff my knuckles in my mouth to stifle the laughter that surely would've escaped my lips two seconds later.

 

And the best part? I wasn't even  _ done  _ with them.

 

Needless to say, I went all out. I levitated books, clothes, accessories, reveling in the new control I had over my magic. As for Bella, Lucius, and dear Cissy, they flipped.

 

And when I say “flipped”, I mean they went psycho. 

 

Or at least they did when I started smacking Bella on the face with her own books.

 

MWAHAHAHAHA!

 

Was that a bit too much? I think not!

 

Anyway, my victims--er, prankees (yes, I made that word up)--ended up sprinting out of their compartment while waving their arms around like madmen and screaming Bloody Mary.

 

Well,  _ I  _ didn't know whether or not they were screaming Bloody Mary, but it sure as heck seemed like they were. I mean, I doubt they were singing praises to the Lord above. 

 

But of course, I still wasn't finished with them. You didn't just call someone a mudblood in front of me, dub sign language as “freak language,” and drench me with water in one day without paying dearly. I had one last thing to do.

 

Get all of this amazingness on freaking camera.

 

Luckily I already had the stuff that happened in their compartment covered. Now it was time for the real fun.

 

I crouched down low and readied my camera, making sure that James’ invisibility still covered me. A grin spread across my face as I started recording. Being obsessed with mechanics had its perks.

 

While I was following them, we passed that teacher’s compartment. As soon as he saw the ruckus they were causing, he stood up and exited his compartment.

 

“What is going on here?”

 

“There's a-a--” Bellatrix began, falling flat on her face as her own underpants tripped her. She got up awkwardly, literally shaking in her shoes. “--A DEMON FOLLOWING ME!”

 

The two girls who sat with the professor shook with laughter, clutching their sides and crying from mirth. One slid off her seat, leaning on the other one for support.

 

Unfortunately, I was just as successful as they were at hiding my amusement. My mouth opened automatically and before I could even stop myself, the professor’s eyes were trained on the exact spot where I stood hidden from sight. At first I thought I was going to get in trouble, but then he started laughing as well.

 

“Miss Dunphy, please take off that invisibility cloak.”

 

I forced myself to recover from my laughing fit, stopped recording, and pulled off the cloak, grinning from ear to ear.

 

**_I was just practicing and they were in the way,_ ** I scribbled on the compartment door, folding the cloak and stuffing it in my pocket with my free hand.

 

Bella spun around, glowering at me. “You--you--” she spluttered.

 

I sent her a falsely apologetic smile.  _ You might want to put your knickers back into your trunk, **Bella** _ **,** I told her.  _ I **know pink hearts are fashionable and all, but I'd rather not see them on your underwear.** _

 

She looked ready to strangle me.

 

Lucius suddenly noticed the camera hanging around my neck. “You recorded it?!” he sneered, straightening his disheveled hair. I leered at him, holding it up tauntingly.

 

_**It's called revenge, hon,** _ I said.

 

With one last smirk at their humiliation, I took off and raced down the aisle as all three of them chased me around the train. Not exactly the ideal way to spend my first train ride to Hogwarts.

 

But hey, at least Bella left her knickers behind for all to see.


	4. A Deaf Girl Tells Me To Think Quieter

*Andrea’s PoV*

 

Here's a tip for all you non-bookworm people: NEVER take a book away from a bookworm when trying to get their attention.

 

Severus learned that lesson today.

 

“Oy!” he hissed, snatching _Kindred_ out of my hands. “I said your name _twenty times_ , Andy!”

 

I automatically snatched it back and whacked him over the head with it. “I doubt you said it _that_ many times!” I said smartly. He groaned and rubbed his head gingerly.

 

“Bookworm reflexes. Deal with it,” I answered, putting my book to the side. “Anyway, what is it?”

 

“We’re here,” Lily told me. “Everyone’s getting off the train.”

 

“Oh,” I said, looking out the window. The train had stopped and several students were already off the train and walking towards a line of carriages or standing off to the side with a “what do I do” look on their faces. “Thanks!”

 

Lily and Severus chuckled as I slid my book back into my trunk. “You can leave your trunk here,” said Lily. “They’ll take it up.” I nodded, stood up, and stretched.

 

“Shit,” I muttered. “Those seats are hard!”

 

“They really are,” Sev agreed.

 

“I suppose we’ll get used to them, though,” Lil commented, standing up and opening the compartment door. “Now come on!”

 

Severus and I followed her out the compartment, and squeezed through the crowd of students trying to get off the train. On the way out, we bumped into that deaf girl. He glared at her, but she simply ignored him and turned to me.

 

 _Where are we going?_ she scribbled on the nearest compartment door. _I’m completely lost._

 

I shrugged. “I dunno.”

 

 _Urgh,_ she replied, looking irritated. _Never mind._

 

I was about to apologize for not being able to help her, but she had already cleared the door she’d written on and walked off. I looked at Sev questioningly.

 

“Do _you_ know we’re going?” I asked him.

 

“No,” he answered with a frown. “Mum isn’t very helpful when it comes to telling me logistics. She didn’t even tell me how we’re going to be sorted.”  


 

He didn’t seem very fond of his mother. When he talked about her, there was a hint of loathing in his eyes. In fact, he didn’t seem very fond of anyone except Lily and I--but perhaps I was being too quick to judge.

 

“Well, apparently it’s a parent thing,” Lily told him, seeing his frown. “A lot of people from magical families don’t know how they’re going to be sorted. This girl named Marlene McKinnon told me that--”

 

But we never got to find out what Marlene McKinnon told her, because as soon as we were off the train, a gruff voice shouted, “Firs’ years! Firs’ years, follow me! Cummon don’t be shy!”

 

A colossal man loomed into view. And when I say colossal, I mean at _least_ seven feet tall. At first glance, the man seemed terrifying, but as soon as I caught his eye, I knew that he loved leading us to wherever we were going.

 

Miss I-Love-Mechanics-More-Than-People and her group of friends pushed to the front of the line to get a better look at him. Specky made an effort to trip Sev again, and Lily and I glared at him. When Bulky saw us, he grinned and looked at the deaf girl and I.

 

“Sisters, are ya?” he questioned.

 

“No!” I shouted immediately. The man chuckled and addressed the rest of the students.

 

“C’mon, yeh lot! We don’ have all day!”

 

We followed him to a bunch of boats that I guessed would lead us to the actual school. The giant got a boat all for himself and told us that we were allowed four people per boat. Lily, Severus, and I got in a boat with the curly-haired boy I had seen earlier.

 

“I’m Sirius Black, by the way,” he said, completely ignoring Sev, who didn’t seem to mind. Lily glowered at him.

 

“Lily Evans,” she replied stiffly.

 

“Andrea Connor,” I said, not quite sure what to think of him. He seemed a bit egotistical, and he acted like his hair was his pride and joy.

 

Suddenly, the giant yelled, “Duck!” as we entered a small tunnel. I ended up bumping my head on the roof and Lily shrieked as a spider dropped down the back of her shirt. I chuckled.

 

“It’s just a spider, Lil,” I told her soothingly, reaching into her shirt, taking the eight-legged creature out, and holding it in my palm. “Hey, little guy!” I cooed. “Aren’t you a cutie?”

 

“Spiders aren’t cute, Andy,” said Severus, sounding slightly amused.

 

“They are very cute,” I said defensively. _Especially tarantulas,_ I added in my mind.

 

I heard a groan from the boat next to me. It was my newly acquired stunt double; she was glaring at me. _**Yes, Miss Perky** , _ she wrote, clearly being sarcastic, **_tarantulas are downright adorable._ **

 

I stared at her. “How--what--?”

 

 **_Maybe you should think quieter,_ ** she retorted.

 

“And what would you know about volume, Miss Sarcasm?” I asked, as we neared the end of the tunnel.

 

 _**If it’s loud, it hurts, and if it’s quiet, then I won’t hear it in the first place because I’m deaf,** _ she said, gesturing to her ear with an insolent look in her eye.

 

“Oh, haha. Very funny.”

 

 _**Are you being sarcastic?**   _ Miss Sarcasm asked, obviously knowing the answer to that question already.

 

“Oh, no, not at a--” I began icily. Severus cut me off.

 

“Will you two shut up?!” he snapped. “Look!”

 

I rolled my eyes, looked over to where he was pointing, and gasped in awe; ahead of us was the most magnificent castle I had ever seen. It was like one of those castles you see in films about the medieval times. Sweet! I had always wanted to visit a castle and now I was going to attend school in one.

 

“It’s amazing...” Lil breathed.

 

“Amazing only describes the windows, Lil,” I answered airily.

 

She thwacked me on the head. "Oh, shut up!" I rolled my eyes and shoved her lightly. As the boat rocked a bit, she smacked me again. “Don’t push me over!” But, even she was laughing. Sev just rolled his eyes at our antics, and Sirius was laughing as well.

 

"Don't push us all over," Sev said dryly.

 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I said sarcastically.

 

Sev groaned, though his lips were twitching, so I decided to ignore him. When I looked into the side of the boat, I saw that the water was rippling, as if something was swimming in it--which seemed like a reasonable explanation. I put my hand in the water to investigate and felt something slimy brush against it.

 

“Something slimy’s in the lake,” I told Sirius, who was still gawking at Hogwarts. He looked up.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Something slimy is in the lake,” I repeated.

 

“Oh, that’ll be the Giant Squid!” he said animatedly. “My cousin Andromeda told me about it! She said that one of her friends got pulled in by it once!”

 

I snorted. “That sounds fun as long as you know how to swim.”

 

“It does,” he agreed.

 

“I don’t think the Giant Squid is the only thing in there, though,” Lily added, shivering.

 

“Oh, don’t be such a scaredy cat!” I whined, swatting her. “I’d love to swim in the lake!”

 

“I’m not a scaredy cat!”

 

“Yes, you are.”

 

“Am not!”

  
  
“Yes.”

 

“No.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“No.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“NO!”

 

“We’re getting out, you two,” Sirius chuckled. Lily and I grinned sheepishly, climbed out of the boat, and followed everyone else to the entrance doors. Giant Dude knocked on them three times and the doors opened, revealing a witch wearing emerald green robes and a tall pointed hat. She reminded me of those really strict grandmothers who were just overall spoilsports.

 

“The firs’ years, Professor McGonagall,” Giant Dude said proudly. Huh. What an odd name.

 

"Thank you, Hagrid. I shall take them from here." Another odd name. I shook that thought, but it was replaced with another. ‘I shall take them from here’ sounded like something an executioner would say. The thought made me chuckle as we followed her inside. This place was getting stranger and stranger, and I loved it!

 

Professor McGonagall explained that there were four houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. Then she explained that during the year you earned house points, and the house with the most points at the end of the year won the House Cup, but if you broke the rules, your house would lose points. Sweet! I loved competitions!

 

We could hear the bustle of other students behind an oak door the Professor stood before. “However, before you may join your classmates, you must be sorted into your houses. While you’re waiting, I suggest you. . .smarten yourselves up.” With that, and one last glance at the flaws of my fellow first years and me, she disappeared through the door behind her. In the split moment before the door closed, I could see four jam-packed tables of students, and one elevated table for the teachers.

 

As soon as she was gone, a bundle of chatter erupted.

 

“How do you think we’re going to be sorted?” someone from behind me asked nervously. I turned around to see a boy with dark brown hair and big, round eyes. He looked especially nervous.

 

“Frank Longbottom,” he introduced himself hastily.

 

“Andrea Connor,” I said automatically. “And I don’t know how we’re going to be sorted.”

 

“Sammy said that we’re going to have to fight off a troll,” Specky piped suddenly, “but Sammy says a lot of things.”

 

“Nonsense!” someone else scoffed. “We’re eleven years-old! They wouldn’t do that to us!”

 

 **_Maybe we’re going to have to pull a rabbit out of a hat,_ ** Miss Sarcasm wrote, looking completely serious. That was the thing about her: because she communicated by writing instead of actually speaking, it was hard to tell whether or not she was joking. Though--in this case--I knew she was joking.

 

“Rubbish!” the same person who had spoken earlier retorted. “Mother said that they don’t teach muggle sleight of hand magic here!”

 

 _**Adults don’t always tell the truth** , _ she said, obviously trying to wind them up. **_Hogwarts COULD teach no-maj sleight of hand magic._ **

 

“Mother’s always ri--!”

 

 _Oh, look,_ Miss Sarcasm said, her lip curled, _you’re a know-it-all AND a Mommy’s Boy._

 

“You little--”

 

 _**And you know what’s sad?** _ she continued. **_You didn’t even notice that I used ‘no-maj’ instead of ‘muggle.’_ **

 

I had to give her that, but I rolled my eyes at the fact she expected everyone to catch every little thing she wrote. I knew I for one wouldn’t have noticed the difference between “no-maj” and “muggle.” After all, no-maj is the American equivalent to muggle, and I usually don’t mind the use of synonyms.

 

Just before the boy could say another word, half of the Entrance Hall screamed. I don’t mean a little yelp of fright, but an “oh my gosh, there’s a murderer in my house” kind of scream. Turning around, I noticed what they’d all been screaming about but didn’t understand the fear of the situation: Four different ghost had floated in through the wall! I wasn’t afraid of them; in fact I waved at them. Halloween always was my favorite holiday, after all.

 

The apparitions hadn’t noticed, though. An old ghost with curly hair and a ruff about his neck continued to talk with a lady-ghost: “You should watch your back,Friar, what with Peeves being unnervingly out of the way.”

 

The other ghost snorted and waved a hand in dismissal. “Honestly, Sir Nicholas, you act as if this is all--” Friar seemed to notice the first year below him. “Oh! New students!” he exclaimed happily. “I hope to see you in Hufflepuff! I’m the Fat Friar, you know, and the Common Room is _right near the Kitchens!_ ” Sir Nicholas sweeped his eyes over us.

 

Sir Nicholas cupped his hand around his mouth and spoke in a hushed whisper: “Gryffindor has a better view of the grounds.” He and Friar began to have a friendly argument about the benefits of each house’s common rooms. Personally, I prefered Gryffindor still.

 

At least I had a fighting chance of beating my insomnia if I didn’t have the delicious smell of cheeseburgers, and food in general, wafting into my dorm.

 

A few moments of sorting method debates, Professor McGonagall returned. “Line up, single file, please,” she boomed. I usually wasn’t one to listen to authority, but this lady was scary, so I hopped in line. “Follow me.”

 

Professor McGonagall lead us into this _huge_ room--so huge that it seemed as though the ceiling just opened up to the heavens. Candles floated above four long tables, students chatted along happily, a banner hung next to each table (each one depicting either a lion, badger, snake, or eagle), and teachers smiled down at us from the elevated table.

 

McGonagall placed a three-legged stool in the center of, what she called, the Great Hall. On top of it was a fraying grey hat. Some would say it looked hideous, but I thought it let off a glow of power. Like everything else I’d encountered today, it wasn’t normal.

 

"This is the Sorting Hat," said McGonagall. "You'll put it on, and it will sort you into your houses. Once you are sorted, please go sit at the appropriate table."

 

A tear in the brim of the hat opened, forming a mouth. That was even less normal than today’s events.

 

It started _singing!_ A HAT, singing! I didn’t know why that of all things shocked me (this event was at least moderately explainable), but it did.

 

“ _Many a year ago it seems,_

 

_The duty fell to me,_

 

_To sing my song and bring the news,_

 

_Of where students ought to be._

 

_Chosen by the founders four,_

 

_To help young students find their way,_

 

_When, confused, they stumble in,_

 

_On their first Hogwarts day._

 

_Four houses to choose from,_

 

_Not one less or more,_

 

_Each one by a different founder,_

 

_To fill with students they adore._

 

_Gryffindor, loving bravery,_

 

_Chose the strong of heart,_

 

_While Slytherin, feeling differently,_

 

_Thought cunning the greatest art._

 

_Ravenclaw claimed for her own house,_

 

_The brainy and the smart,_

 

_While Hufflepuff took to her dear house,_

 

_The just and kind of heart._

 

_All these students, with their differences,_

 

_Are each key to this great school._

 

_And if Hogwarts hopes to stand,_

 

_Unity’s the greatest tool._

 

_House to house and hand to hand,_

 

_Leaving differences behind._

 

_Only when you work together,_

 

_Can your strengths all be combined._

 

_Now at last, the time has come,_

 

_For me to send you separate ways._

 

_But remember, our division,_

 

_Could bring the end of Hogwarts’ days.”_

 

I applauded along with the rest of the school, letting the hat’s words sink in. It seemed wise, for a bit of old, talking headwear.

 

Suddenly McGonagall started to call out names from a scroll. "Abbot, Benjamin!" A scrawny boy with red hair weaved himself through the crowd of first years and onto the stool. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on his head, and the boy made strange faces every-so-often. Was the hat _talking_ to him? Why did that surprise me? I just heard and saw it sing for Pete’s sake!

 

Suddenly the hat screamed, "HUFFLEPUFF!" One of the tables burst into applause, and the boy ran down to join them, a huge grin on his face.

 

One by one, the first years got sorted, and the four tables started to fill up even more. And then McGonagall shouted, "Black, Sirius!" He sauntered up to the stool and sat down anxiously. I could see the Slytherins that drenched me staring at him with a mix of a smirk, and a sneer. As the fraying hat spoke to him, I could tell Sirius felt pretty good about what he was being told.

 

After a moment or so, the hat shouted, “GRYFFINDOR!”

 

The hall suddenly broke into whispers as Sirius ran down to the Gryffindor table.

 

"A _Black_ in _Gryffindor_? That's not how that works!"

 

"He's gonna get disowned within the month!"

 

I saw that the Slytherins that were focused on Sirius looked murderous. I would have made a face at them and been a childish prat that was asking for trouble, but my name was called next.

 

“Connor, Andrea,” McGonagall read from her scroll. Some would say their legs turned to jelly when they were called up, but I was almost running up to the stool in anticipation. McGonagall jammed the hat on my head, and the hat started to talk:

 

 _"Definitely not Ravenclaw."_ I couldn’t help but agree. Ravenclaw was for the creative brainiacs who worked hard. I was a creative couch potato that liked wishing to work hard.

 

 _"Maybe Hufflepuff? Let me look deeper. No, definitely not Hufflepuff!"_ He made it to my sarcasm and inability to keep quiet, then. Yeah, Hufflepuff wouldn’t be good for me. I was a bit too sassy, sarcastic, outspoken, and--well-- _me_ , for Hufflepuff.

 

_"Not cunning enough for Slytherin. No, you wouldn't do well in Slytherin."_

 

 _Okay,_ I thought. _If we’re done eliminating, can we get to the part where you yell out ‘Gryffindor’ so I can go sit down? I want food!_ I whined in my head. The hat chuckled.

 

 _"DEFINITELY Gryffindor,"_ it said, and then yelled at the top of its--was it even possible for a hat _have_ lungs--well, it yelled out, "GRYFFINDOR!" I started grinning my head off, thanked the hat--no matter how strange that sounds--took it off, and bolted off to the cheering table. I wasn’t lying; I was hungry.

 

Sev looked a little disappointed, but oh well. He'd just have to deal with it.

 

I glared at the empty table before me as other students were sorted. “Dunphy, Mata,” AKA Miss Sarcasm, was sent to Ravenclaw, Lily joined me in Gryffindor, “Lupin, Remus” was sent to Gryffindor with a raise of the headmaster’s glass, “Potter, James” got Gryffindor as did “McKinnon, Marlene” and “Pettigrew, Peter.” “Hill, Jaden” and “Watson, Layla” joined Ravenclaw, several others were sent to Slytherin, and scarce few joined Hufflepuff.

 

The headmaster stood up, arms stretched wide. “I am your headmaster, Professor Dumbledore. Past pupils may know me from Transfiguration classes--which will be taken over by our very own Professor McGonagall. I have a few start of term announcements, but those can wait. For now, fard, collop, and furphy! And, yes, those are real words.” The hall began in a nervous chuckle--most likely worrying about Dumbledore’s mental state--and gradually rose to loud laughter.

 

I, for one, was more focused on the food in front of me. Where were the cheeseburgers?

  



	5. I Play With Fire

*Mata's PoV*

 

I had never seen so much food in my life.

 

I think the hardest thing about eating in the Great Hall was choosing  _ what  _ to eat. There was so much of it! Roast beef, sandwiches, mashed potatoes, green beans, you name it. Eventually I just settled for a plate full of spaghetti and a mountain of brownies (what? I like chocolate).

 

Actually, it’s more of an addiction, but oh well.

 

I happened to be sitting in between two girls who were having a heated argument about apparition or something like that. Of course, I was too busy wolfing down my spaghetti to lipread efficiently, so I could be wrong.

 

That’s the thing about lipreading: you have to actually pay attention, because people talk so dang fast, and if you interpret it wrong, I guarantee you that you’ll look like a  _ massive  _ idiot. Trust me, it’s not fun.

 

Anyway, during the whole argument, both girls didn’t really notice me--not that I minded or anything. It just amazed me that people can miss so much when they get really involved in something.

 

While the two argued, my eyes wandered around the hall--a result of my bad habit of spacing out. I saw James and Sirius talking animatedly to Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, and shuddered as the ghost nearly pulled his head off his neck. Knowing my wonderful memory for details, it would take a long time to get that image out of my head. Ugh.

 

Trying to get my mind off Nearly Headless Nick, I decided to focus on the teachers’ table. As it turned out, I wasn’t the one who had a bad habit of staring at people. The same guy who I’d seen on the train was staring at me  _ yet again _ , and I was seriously considering chucking my spoon at him to make him stop. The bloody stalker!

 

Mr. Stalker seemed to notice the look on my face and chose to stare at Connor instead. Throughout this whole time, the Gryffindor remained blissfully oblivious, and even though she was enthusiastically devouring her plate of chicken wings, I felt a constant vibe of disappointment coming from her.

 

_ I can’t BELIEVE they don’t have cheeseburgers! _

 

As soon as I heard the thought, I opened my mouth and busted out laughing. Unfortunately, this caused the rest of the Ravenclaw table to stare at me with odd and somewhat judging looks. I stuck out my tongue at them in retaliation and resumed eating. It seemed as if I had laughed louder than considered “normal.” Meh. Too bad for them. It wasn’t like  _ I  _ could control the volume of my laughter.

 

_ And it’s not like I can control the volume of my thoughts, Dunphy. _

 

I screwed my eyes shut as pain shot through my forehead and rubbed my temples. It was strange; even though I knew Connor was sitting at the Gryffindor table with her friends, it felt like she was sitting right next to me. Then I realized.

 

She was in my freaking  _ mind _ .

 

_ And it’s not like I fancy the idea of sharing my mind with someone else, Connor,  _ I found myself thinking back.  _ Now do me a favor and get the heck out of my head. Please and thank you. _

 

_ You act like I WANT to be inside your head,  _ she retorted

 

_ Hey, I didn’t ask you to pay a visit! _

 

_ Well, why can you hear my fucking thoughts anyway?!  _ she cried.

 

_ I don't know!  _ I told her.  _ Last time I checked, I couldn't HEAR anything. _

 

_ Oh, haha, very funny. _

 

_ Hilarious, aren't I? Also, your locket's glowing. _

 

_ Well, so is yours! _

 

I looked down, frowning. She was right; my locket  _ was  _ glowing. The only time it had done that before was when Holly, Gregor, and I went on a picnic in a park located near this residential area right after we moved from America to England. There was this family nearby who was looking at this three-story house until a tree fell on it. When the only girl turned around to look at me, I had thought I was seeing myself because we looked almost identical. I remember that Holly was quite eager to leave after that.

 

Oh, God...was that  _ her _ ?

 

_ Why the heck are our lockets glowing?  _ I asked uncertainly.

 

_ You tell me, you oh-so-brilliant Ravenclaw!  _

 

As we continued to argue, my headache worsened. I soon realized that I was gripping the table firmly and that it was rapidly turning to ash right underneath my fingers. 

 

_ Good job, Dunphy,  _ said Connor, her voice dripping with sarcasm.  _ Now you've burnt a hole in the table.  _

 

_ Oh, bug off.  _ I grumbled, reaching to unclasp my locket.  _ I'm taking this blasted necklace off before I burn something else. And not by accident. _

 

I stuffed the locket in my pocket and gave a frustrated sigh. The boy next to me looked at me strangely.

 

“Erm--why are you disintegrating the table?” he asked, as a hand-shaped hole formed when I lifted my hands off the table.

 

I glared at him and picked up my wand. **_Do I look like I know?_** I wrote.

 

The two girls next to me suddenly stopped arguing and looked at me, both turning pink in embarrassment. I was about to tell them that there was no reason to be embarrassed and that I didn't really care, but before I could start writing, Dumbledore stood up and the food disappeared.

 

“Now before I send you to bed, I would like to give you a few start-of-term notices. First off, we do have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Please welcome Professor Adrian Cameron!”

 

Mr. Stalker stood up and the hall broke into applause. Dumbledore waited for everyone to quiet down before he spoke again.

 

“To all first years--the forest is strictly forbidden and the caretaker Mr. Filch would like me to remind all of you that use of magic in the corridors will not be tolerated.”

 

I rolled my eyes. Now that he said that, people would be twice as likely to go into the forest and use magic in the corridors!

 

“Quidditch tryouts will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing should contact their house’s team captain.”

 

The girls sitting next to me got excited when they heard this. The taller, brown-haired one whispered something in her friend’s ear, causing the other girl to roll her eyes with a smile.

 

“And, finally,” the headmaster continued, “let us sing the school song!” 

 

Oh, yay. Singing. What fun. (Note the obvious sarcasm.)

 

He flicked his wand and conjured a long, golden ribbon that transformed into words. At least I would be able to read the lyrics.

 

“Everyone pick their favorite tune. And off we go!”

 

“ _ Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, _

_ Teach us something please, _

_ Whether we be old and bald _

_ Or young with scabby knees, _

_ Our heads could do with filling _

_ With some interesting stuff, _

_ For now they're bare and full of air, _

_ Dead flies and bits of fluff, _

_ So teach us things worth knowing, _

_ Bring back what we've forgot, _

_ Just do your best, we’ll do the rest, _

_ And learn until our brains all rot. _ ”

 

I watched as everyone finished the song at different times. James and Sirius finished last, and their exaggerated lip movements gave me the impression that they were trying to sing the opera or something. When they finished, Dumbledore vanished the ribbon and clapped enthusiastically.

 

“Ah, music,” he said. “A magic unlike any other. Now, off to bed you go!”

 

I turned to the brunette girl next to me and gave her a questioning look.  _ Where to now?  _ I asked.

 

“Follow the Ravenclaw prefect--see that boy over there?” She pointed to a fifth year wearing a shiny badge with a big, capital ‘P’ on it. “That's him.”

 

I nodded and thanked her, before joining the rest of the Ravenclaw first years. Turns out you had to answer a riddle to get into the common room.

 

“What happens if you can't answer the riddle?” someone asked.

 

“You have to wait for someone else to answer it,” the prefect answered.

 

“Oh.”

 

_ Note to self: Work on answering riddles. Amount of sleep each night depends on it. _

 

The Ravenclaw common room was a round, circular room filled with armchairs, tables, and bookcases. A statue of a regal-looking woman stood next to a door that I guessed led to the dormitories. A bulletin board hung above the shortest bookcase and currently only had one thing on it.

 

“Welcome to the Ravenclaw common room,” said the prefect. “The girls dormitories are next to that statue and the boys dormitories are over there.” He pointed to an identical door across the room. “Feel free to check out any of the books in here as long as you return them to their original spot. Any announcements will be posted on the house bulletin board, and  _ please  _ try to keep the noise level down. People often use this place to study.

 

“Other than that, just enjoy yourself. Ravenclaw is the house of creativity and independence. Everyone has different interests, and we accept that. So if you want to discover the twelve magical uses of troll bogies, we won't judge.”

 

His eyes twinkled at the looks on our faces. I snickered.

 

“You’re welcome to stay down here at any hour in the night. In fact, this place is rarely empty. But for tonight, I suggest you get some sleep. First day is always the hardest! Sleep well, you lot!” 

 

He gave us one last smile and exited the common room. Chatter immediately broke out after he left, but I decided to follow his advice and get some sleep. 

 

***

 

“You dropped your hairbrush.”

 

My dorm mate stared down at me, her lips set in a small frown; she had been trying to tell me that for the past five minutes and I, of course, hadn't heard her (woopty-doo!). The fact that she practically towered over me didn't make matters any better.

 

 ** _Right,_** I wrote, my face heating up in embarrassment. **_Thanks._**

 

I took the brush from her, stuffed it in my trunk, and hurried to breakfast. Curse my deafness! Why couldn't I just be normal like the rest of them?!

 

_ You go to a Wizarding school, Mata,  _ I reminded myself.  _ You'll never be ‘normal.’ _

 

At the end of breakfast, Professor Flitwick, the head of Ravenclaw, magicked our schedules into our hands. I assumed this was because he was too short to hand them to us himself. When I looked at my new schedule, I saw that I had Potions first.

 

Potions was held in the dungeons. Unfortunately for me, I was late because I went to the wrong dungeon and met the portrait of this high-strung warlock.

 

“Mind your own business and get the bloody h*ll out of here, Missy!” he told me.

 

 ** _Could you just tell me where the Potions dungeon is?_** I asked, rolling my eyes at him.

 

“Three dungeons down, you little nincompoop!”

 

**_Just.You know what? Bye._ **

 

Yeah. That happened.

 

The actual class wasn’t that bad. Potions is just like cooking, if you think about it. And I had helped Holly cook a load of times. I'd even trained Gregor’s cat to paw my leg when the food was ready. This time I didn't have a cat to remind me, but we were in partners, so I didn't have to worry about that.

 

Transfiguration was another story. The truth was, I hadn't come up with a sign that could help me turn a match into a needle. So all I could do was sit there, try to do the spell nonverbally, and hope for the best, which--as you can imagine--isn't very productive.

 

The snickering boy next to me didn't help much either.

 

“Need help there, Dunphy?” he said, his lip curled into a sneer. I stopped what I was doing and glared at him. “You know, you might want to  _ say  _ the spell out loud. Just a tip.”

 

 ** _Okay,_** I scribbled across his desk. **_Why don't you try to do the spell without saying it if you're so clever?_**

 

“Oh, this isn't about my cleverness,” the boy told me, eyes glinting with malice. “I just thought that since you were sorted into Ravenclaw, you would actually be smart.”

 

The girl next to him looked up from what she was doing, and considered me for a moment. At first, I thought she was going to slap him upside the head, but then she opened her mouth.

 

“Theo, if she was actually smart, she wouldn't have come here in the first place because she would've remembered that you actually need to say your spells if you're going to survive the first day.”

 

Wow. Rude much?

 

I scowled at her. **Y** _ **ou know,** _ I wrote,  **_it's funny that you're going on this tirade about my inability to speak. You have full control of your voice and I don't see any needles on your desk._ **

 

She clamped her mouth shut.

 

**_I thought so._ **

 

***

 

After a very unsuccessful Transfiguration lesson, I headed to Charms, feeling ticked at myself. I had come to school completely unprepared, and now I was paying the price. Ugh.

 

Suddenly someone tapped me on the shoulder. I whipped around to see James grinning at me.

 

“Hey, Mats!” he said. “How's your day going so far?”

 

**_Fine_ ** **,** I replied, writing in my notebook because I was too lazy to get out my wand (and because it was practically impossible to  _ get  _ it out with all the stuff I was carrying. Honestly, were the teachers  _ trying  _ to give us back problems by making us carry all those textbooks around?!).  _ P _ **_otions was fun._ **

 

“Jamesie was too busy staring at the back of Evans’ head to pay attention this morning,” Sirius told me with a smirk. “Weren't you, mate?”

 

“Oh, shove off!”

 

 ** _James, it's fine to have a little crush on her,_** I said, grinning at the look on his face as his eyes scanned the notebook. **_She is quite attractive if I say so myself._**

 

“Shut up, Mats.”

 

_ Impossible,  _ I wrote, winking at him.

 

Suddenly a tiny man walked out of the classroom and wordlessly gestured for us to come in. It was Professor Flitwick.

 

**_Today's your lucky day, James. The professor came to save the day,_ ** I added before pocketing the notebook and walking into the classroom.

 

He scowled and followed me inside. Him, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and I took seats in the back of the classroom, right behind Evans, Connor, and another blonde girl I didn't recognize. I think her name was Marlene McKinnon.

 

Once everyone was seated, Flitwick stepped onto something (probably a stool or a pile of books) to get a better look at us. When he did roll call, I noticed that his eyes lingered on Connor and I for a few seconds. Why did teachers keep staring at us?! I mean, sure we were identical and I wouldn't be surprised if we were sisters or something, but couldn't they at least  _ try  _ to not be so obvious?

 

After roll call, Flitwick announced that we would be conjuring fire today. I grinned when he said this; fire was one of the spells I could do with sign language. I raised my hand.

 

“Yes, Miss Dunphy?”

 

I picked up my wand and started to write.  **_Is it okay íf I use the sign language version of the spell?_ ** **I asked.**

 

“Of course!” the professor replied, his eyes lighting up with curiosity. “Why don't you try it now?” 

 

I nodded and pointed my wand at the candle in front of me while signing the spell with my other hand. A three foot high column of fire erupted from the candle and singed part of my eyebrow, making me give a startled jump. The whole class stared at me.

 

“I bet you couldn't even do that again if you tried,” said the boy next to me with a scowl. I think his name was Noah Warrington.

 

I rolled my eyes. **_You're just jealous,_** I wrote.

 

“I bet you couldn’t even do that on purpose if you tried.”

 

**_Try me._ **

 

“Okay,” he replied challengingly. “Let’s go.”

 

Connor briefly looked up from the candle she was trying to light. “Bitch, please,” she said, “she could kick your ass if she wanted to.”

 

“Language, Miss Connor!” Flitwick called from behind his desk.

 

“Got a problem with me speaking English, Professor?” Connor asked smartly.

 

_ Dang _ , I thought, trying not to laugh at the look on Flitwick’s face. I guess he had never been sassed by an eleven year-old.  _ Apply some ice to that burn. _

 

“Ten points from Gryffindor, Miss Connor,” said the professor.

 

Connor made a sour face, huffed, and went back to lighting her candle. I looked at the boy who had challenged me.

 

**_You go first._ **

 

He nodded, pointed his wand at the candle, and muttered the spell under his breath. A small spark appeared, but it went out almost a second later. I gave him a smug look.

 

**_You weren’t doing the wand movement. It goes like this,_ ** I said, drawing a miniature flame in the air with my hand.

 

“You didn’t do the wand movement!” he replied indignantly.

 

**_That’s because I did the wand movement when I signed the spell. Also, it’s my turn now._ ** I repeated what I had done before and grinned when I got the same results.

 

“You have no proof that that was on purpose!”

 

“Now you’re just in denial, Warrington,” James interjected, arms crossed. “That was on purpose and you know it.”

 

Warrington opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off.

 

**_Would you be more convinced if I did it in front of your face?_ **

 

Connor looked up again.

 

“Damn, Dunphy. Respect.”

 

***

 

After class, Remus suggested splitting up.

 

“I mean, we have Potions with the Slytherins,” he pointed out, “and you’re a Ravenclaw.”

 

**_I DO have a free period,_ ** I replied.  **_I could walk you there._ **

 

“You just say that because you love us,” Sirius teased. 

 

**_Bug off._ **

 

“Impossible.”

 

“You don’t have to walk us there, though,” said Peter. “We’re perfectly capable of getting there ourselves.”

 

**_You lot seem awfully eager to get rid of me,_ ** I joked.

 

“And you seem awfully eager to spend time with us,” Sirius countered, eyes twinkling, “I must say, I feel honored that you recognize my awesomeness.”

 

**_I’m also recognizing your ego,_ ** I told him.  **_And it’s making me not want to walk you idiots to class._ **

 

“Yeah, you three are idiots,” Remus agreed.

 

**_That included you, Remus,_ ** I said, elbowing him as we began to make our way to the Potions dungeon.

 

“And plus, you wouldn’t want to have a class with ol’ Snivelly, would you?” James suddenly added. I snorted.

 

Suddenly everyone’s attention turned on something behind us. I spun around to see what is was, and saw Snape, Evans, and Connor glaring at us. James was saying something II couldn’t quite catch. But it must’ve been bad, because the next thing I knew, Connor had socked him in the jaw.

 

“Oy!” he exclaimed. “Why’d ya have to punch me?”

 

“Stop being a fucking bully!” she said angrily.

 

“I was just telling him how--”

 

Next thing I knew, he and Connor were in a tangle on the floor. She pushed him off and slammed him into the wall. James stepped forward to retaliate, but Sirius pulled him back while I held Connor back.

 

“Get the fuck off me!” she demanded.

 

**_Beating the crap out of him won’t stop him from being a bully, so slim it,_ ** I told her.

 

“Oh, I think it will! And you’re just saying that because he’s your friend!”

 

**_I’m not--_ **

 

I froze. A vine had wrapped itself around my wrist and when I tried to pull it of, more vines covered my arm. I turned around the source; the nearest window was shattered  and vines were rapidly growing from the hole. And they were heading towards  _ me. _

 

_ The heck?! _

 

Suddenly a vine whacked me square on the face. I scowled, turned back around to see Connor with a slight grin on her face, and gave her a pleasant smile in return.

 

**_Connor,_ ** I wrote,  **_would you care to tell me why I seem to be a vine magnet?_ **

 

“And why would you think I know that?” she asked.

 

**_Well, I know that things can get crazy in the Wizarding world,_ ** I said, taking hold of a vine that had been about to hit me.  **_But the last time I checked, vines didn’t come inside through a broken window without a cause._ **

 

“Well, check agai--the hell?!”

 

The vine I was holding was turning to ash right before my eyes--just like the table at the feast. Except this time, the cause was more apparent; a small flame was burning the remaining vine and it was quickly expanding.

 

Great. An uncontained fire in the castle. That’s  _ exactly  _ what everyone needs. Screw Flitwick and the fracking education system. Why do they teach you the fire spell in first year but not the water spell?! What kind of logic is that?!

 

Connor gaped at the sight. “Would you care to tell me what the hell is going on?!”

 

**_I actually don’t kno--_ **

 

_ Miss Dunphy! _

 

I whipped around to see Professor Cameron striding towards us. I wished he hadn’t used telepathy to get my attention; it hurt like crap and I wasn’t quite sure I  _ liked  _ hearing things besides my own thoughts. The sensation felt so unnatural.

 

Cameron waved his hand, and the vines and fire disappeared. Despite the stern tone he had used, he only looked mildly annoyed.

 

“Detention, both of you,” he told Connor and I. “Did you not hear the headmaster when he said no magic in the corridors?”

 

**_Well, technically I didn’t,_ ** I answered. Cameron facepalmed himself.  **_When’s the detention?_ **

 

“Friday after dinner.”

 

**_Okay._ ** I turned to James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter.  **_Come on, you lot. You’re going to be late for class._ **

 

“Great job, Mata,” Remus said when we reached the Potions dungeon. “Detention on the first day.”

 

**_Shut up, Bookboy. One detention isn’t going to ruin my future,_ ** I wrote.

 

“I’d be less worried about your future and more worried about the fact that we’re friends with a spoilsport,” said James, looking at Remus teasingly.

 

I suddenly spotted a stray spider, scooped it up, and grinned slyly.  **_Oh, I’ll loosen him up, James,_ ** I said, dropping the spider down the back of Remus’ robes. Remus gave a startled jump and started squirming around in an effort to shake the spider out.

 

“Get it out! Get it out!”

 

I doubled over laughing and had to lean on the wall for support.

 

**_I’m afraid you’ll have to go to class with spider down your back. Not sorry, mate._ **


	6. Sev Fantasizes About Vine Mummies

*Andrea’s PoV*

 

“Andy, that was brilliant!” Lily told me as we entered the Potions dungeon. “The vines and everything! Absolutely brilliant!”

 

“Thanks, Lil,” I said with a smile.

 

“How did you even do it?” Severus asked.

 

“I dunno,” I admitted. “I guess I got really pissed at her and it just...happened.”

 

“I wish more vines had wrapped her up,” he sighed, taking a seat at the front of the classroom.“It would’ve been funny to see her looking like a vine mummy.”

 

I snickered at the thought of Dunphy all wrapped up in green plants.

 

“Sev!” Lil exclaimed in a scolding tone, but even she was laughing as well.

 

“What? There’s nothing wrong with looking like a vine mummy.” His lips twitched. “Halloween’s in two months.”

 

“What’s this about vine mummies?” the girl next to us asked curiously. “I heard this Ravenclaw third year say that these things called Nargles were found in an Egyptian tomb, but that’s the only thing I’ve heard about mummies in this place.”

 

“What the hell is a Nargle?” I said, scrunching my eyebrows together in confusion.

 

“No idea.”

 

“Good morning, class!” Suddenly a short man with a rather large belly and a walrus mustache entered the room. I guessed that this was our Potions teacher. “I'm Professor Slughorn. Raise your hand if you're not here,” he added, eyes twinkling.

 

Potter raised his hand. “I'm not here, sir!” he shouted, causing several people to snicker.

 

Lily rolled her eyes from next to me. “Idiot,” she muttered. I chuckled.

 

“An idiot that _loves_ you,” I whispered back.

 

“Shut it.”

 

“Impossible!”

 

“Ladies, please pay attention,” Slughorn interjected, shooting us a patient but irritated look.

 

“Sorry, professor!” Lily piped.

 

“As I was saying,” the professor continued, “today we will be brewing the Cure for Boils. It's an elementary potion. Shouldn’t be too hard and you’ll be working in partners for this one. The team with the best potion gets a homework pass.”

 

The class exchanged eager looks.

 

“So, to business!” he boomed. “Partner up with the person next to next to you and get out your cauldrons! Instructions are on page five!” He waved his wand and over a dozen books zoomed out of a nearby cupboard and landed in front of us. They were covered in dust and looked like they hadn’t been used in over a decade.

 

Lily immediately scooted closer to Sev, so I turned to the girl next to me, taking in her appearance. She was a few inches taller than me and had dark curly hair that almost covered her eyes.

 

“You and me, I guess?” I said.

 

“Sure,” she answered. “D’you have your cauldron?”

 

I rummaged through my bag and groaned when I found no sign of my cauldron. “Shit,” I mumbled. “Must be in my trunk.”

 

“That’s okay. We can use mine,” she told me. “I’m Lyra, by the way.”

 

“Andy.”

 

A few minutes into the period, Slughorn started walking up and down the aisle, inspecting people’s cauldrons. Lyra prepared the cauldron while I crushed the snake fangs. After I put the crushed the fangs, I reached for the quills to put them in. Lyra outstretched her arm to stop me, but it was too late.

 

“No, don’t put the fangs in ye--”

 

BOOM.

 

Metal bits--small and large--flew everywhere as Lyra’s cauldron was blown to pieces. I felt my hands burning, and I saw red boils sprout over my fingers. I looked at Lyra; she was having the same problem. “Fuck,” we swore in unison.

 

“I-I’ll buy you a new cauldron,” I told her. I knew I wouldn’t be good at potions; I failed first grade science. And you don’t do _anything_ in first grade science!

 

Lyra, though, was having a bit of a laugh, her hands and face red and covered in boils. “Too bad Miller wasn’t in the splash zone!”

 

I started laughing, too. “What’s wrong with Miller?” I asked. Lyra pointed to a brunette a few tables over. I didn’t recognize her, but I assumed it was Miller.

 

“Nothin’.” She shrugged. “She’s just a b*tch.” I had to try so hard not to laugh, seeing as the entire class was staring at us. “Can we help you?” Lyra asked, looking around.

 

Slughorn seemed a little disturbed by our boils. Not that I blamed him. I couldn’t see me, but Lyra looked a bit grotesque. I probably looked worse; I’d been leaning over the cauldron. “M-Miss Connor, Miss Nott, _what happened?”_

 

I raised my hand sheepishly. “I read ahead.”

 

Slughorn sighed. “Ten points from Gryffindor.” I didn’t argue. What was there to say? The other Gryffindors had something to say, though. I think I heard “you idiot!” shouted by five different people.

 

“Oh, shut the fuck up!” I yelled impatiently, rolling my eyes.

 

“Miss Connor!” exclaimed Slughorn.

 

“Professor Slughorn!” I mocked. Lyra and Sev were snickering into their hands, but Lil slapped my arm.

 

“Andy!”

 

“Why’s everyone yelling at _me?”_ I said. “ _I’m_ the one covered in boils!”

 

“Well, it _was_ your fault,” the girl Lyra said was Miller interjected.

 

“Thanks for the reminder,” I countered sarcastically, before looking at Slughorn. “Can we have the cure now?”

 

The professor sighed. “I suppose so.”

 

Well, so much for getting that homework pass.

 

***

 

That evening, I wrote to Rob and Kambria, asking for money so I could buy Lyra a new cauldron. They really were lucky; if it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have written at all.

 

“I don’t see what you have against your adoptive parents,” Lily admitted when I told her this on the way to the Gryffindor common room. “I wrote to my mum as soon as possible,”

 

“They’re just so...suffocating and way overprotective,” I said, adjusting the strap of my bag. “It’s kinda sickening.”

 

“I see what you mean,” she replied. Then, looking at the Fat Lady, she said, “Blast Ended Skrewt.”

 

The Fat Lady gave her a small smile and the portrait swung open. Lily and I immediately bolted in so we could get seats by the fire, but I tripped when going through the hole and landed flat on my face. Lily doubled over laughing.

 

“A little help here?” I grumbled.

 

“I’ll--help you!” she gasped. “After I--finish laughing!”

 

“I fucking hate you, Lil.”

 

“Love you too, girlie!” she replied cheekily once she had calmed down a bit.

 

“I’m touched,” I said dryly. “Now can you please help me up? I wanna get good seats on the couch!”

 

Lily chuckled, helped me up, and ran to sit on the couch. I groaned when I saw that there was no room because Black, Dunphy, and Lupin were sitting in the other three spots. _D*mn you, Black._

 

“ _Move,_ Black!” I huffed, standing in front of the the curly-haired Gryffindor with my arms crossed.

 

“Nope!” he answered, grinning broadly. I shoved him roughly, hoping to make him fall off. But he just scooted over, causing Dunphy to fall off the couch instead. She scowled at him.

 

 ** _Hey!_** she wrote with her wand, yanking his leg. Black yelped and fell onto the floor next to her. Dunphy took her chance and sat back down, scooting over so that there was space between her and Lily. **_Sit,_** she told me.

 

“Thanks.”

 

  ** _Sure._** She turned back to her friends and wrote, **_You know, this place needs a map. I got lost AT LEAST five times today._**

 

“No kidding,” I muttered.

 

“Well,” said Potter, “you can blame your own founder for that. Rowena Ravenclaw _is_ the one who came up with the ‘ever-changing floor plan.’”

 

Dunphy rolled her eyes at him. Lupin perked up at the mention of Rowena Ravenclaw.

 

“I have her chocolate frog card!” he said. “And the other founders except for Hufflepuff!”

 

“Why would you keep the Slytherin one?” Potter asked bluntly. I whacked him on the shoulder.

 

“What is it with you and Slytherin?!”

 

 ** _Yeah, mate,_** Dunphy interjected, **_the guy could talk to snakes. That’s pretty cool if you ask me._**

 

“But Parseltongue--”

 

“--is widely considered a Dark Art and is looked down upon by many wizards,” Lupin finished, looking slightly exasperated. “Shut up already, will ya?”

 

Black stared at him. “You quoted that from a book, didn’t you?”

 

“Yes, I did, Sirius. _Dark Arts In Its Many Different Forms_ to be exa--”

 

A small grin started to form on Black’s face. “You absolute _nerd_ , Remus Lupin!”

 

“Oh, shut up, Sirius.”

  
  
“Impossible!”

 

***

 

I didn’t get much sleep that night. It was practically impossible to fall asleep even though I knew I was going to be as tired as f*ck the next morning. Eventually I decided to take a walk around the grounds. Being outdoors always made me feel refreshed and I hoped that it’d give me some energy for Defense Against the Dark Arts tomorrow, which--according to Sev--was going to be fun because Professor Cameron was going to teach it and apparently Camerons were cool or something. If you asked me, I’d say he just seemed like a stalkerish spoilsport--but that’s just my opinion.

 

Anyway, once I was outside, I decided to go to the forest because I heard galloping hooves and I wanted to find why. Plus, it was way too cold to swim in the lake. I had heard from Marlene McKinnon that there were werewolves in the forest, but it wasn’t even the full moon, so I had no reason to be afraid.

 

As it turns out, I _did_ have a reason to be afraid. Why? Centaurs.

 

When people hear the word “centaur”, they think of Chiron, the oldest centaur in Greek mythology who mentored many great heroes, was a bad*ss, and blah blah blah.

 

Trust me. The centaurs in the Forbidden Forest weren’t Greek and they definitely didn’t want to teach me anything. They’re a group of territorial magical creatures who don’t appreciate adventurous students going into their forest.

 

I had been following the sound of the galloping for roughly half an hour when it suddenly stopped. The next thing I knew, an arrow whizzed past me, missing my face by centimeters, and lodged itself into the tree behind me.

 

“The h*ll?!” I screamed, much louder than intended. As if responding to my outburst, vines grew up the tree and wrapped themselves around the arrow.

 

Out came the centaurs, their bows at the ready and their eyes narrowed in suspicion. The one at the front seemed to be the oldest one; he had a palomino body and a long beard that was slowly graying.

 

“It’s a student from Dumbledore’s school,” he said. “Relax.”

 

 Another centaur scowled. “Yes, but she is a Nature Meddler,” he scoffed. “They are always too powerful for their own good.”

 

“I agree with Ronan,” the centaur next to him added. This one had slick black hair and was glaring at me as though I was some kind of mutant. “Look at her locket. I say we get rid of her.”

 

I backed away slowly, wondering what my locket had to do with any of this and not wanting to know what the haughty centaur meant when he said “get rid of her.”

 

“Look,” I told them, trying to be diplomatic. “I just came out here for a midnight stroll, I have no idea what the h*ll a ‘Nature Meddler’ is, and if you want me leave, I will, so slim it.”

 

“Is that so?” Ronan asked dryly, as the centaur formed a circle around me, eliminating any chance of escape; I had left my wand back in my dorm, and even if I _did_ have it, the only spell I knew that could possibly help me risked setting the forest on fire and/or getting shot by ten arrows the moment I attacked.

 

“No, actually,” I said sarcastically. “I’ve been plotting to bring down you centaurs from the moment I was born. Fear me, bitches!”

 

I probably should have kept my mouth shut, because Ronan aimed his bow at my face

 

“Oh, brilliant,” he sneered. “She’s a disrespectful Nature Meddler, too.”

 

“I told you!” I insisted. “I don’t know what a Nature Meddler is! I love nature! Why would I f*ck with it?”

 

Ronan opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a loud neigh. At the same time, an angry voice rang inside my head: _Leave the kid alone, centaurs!_

 

I whipped around to see a black unicorn charging towards the centaurs and dove out of the way. The centaurs scattered, clearly taken by surprised. The unicorn neighed again and trotted over to me.

 

 _Jump on!_ she told me.

 

“How can you talk?” I questioned, jumping in surprise when a series of grunts escaped my lips instead of actual words.

 

_All animals talk. You just have to listen. Jump on!_

 

I had never ridden a horse before--let alone a unicorn--but swung my leg over her back and took hold of her mane anyway, not wanting to face the wrath of the centaurs.

 

 _Hold on with your legs,_ she said.

 

Before I could respond, she took off in a gallop. It was immensely difficult to stay on, even with my hands clutching her mane and my legs squeezing her sides; I supposed it would be easier with a saddle, but since I didn’t have that, I contented myself with hugging her neck and willing myself to not fall off.

 

After what seemed like an eternity, we finally arrived at the outskirts of the forest. As soon as the unicorn stopped, I slid off her back.

 

“Thanks for saving my ass,” I told her, “Are the centaurs always like that?”

 

 _Yeah,_ she answered. _They’re not too fond of humans. What were you doing out there anyway? I thought students weren’t supposed to go in the forest alone. Especially past curfew._

 

“Couldn’t sleep,” I said sheepishly. “Plus, rules are made to be broken.”

 

 _That depends on the rule_ , she said, her tone suggesting that she would’ve rolled her eyes if she could. _Well, if you need me, just call for Maddie._

 

“Thanks. And if you need me, the name’s Andy.”

 

 _Like I’d ever need a human who believes rules are made to be broken,_ Maddie teased.

 

“Bug off.”

 

_Nope!_

 

***

 

“Gingrotts?”

 

Kambria had replied to my letter, saying that she had deposited the money in my “Gingrotts school account.” Needless to say, my friends were getting a kick out of this minor spelling mistake.

 

“Er, Andy,” Marlene McKinnon, who happened to be my roommate, giggled, “I think she spelled ‘Gringotts’ wrong.”

 

“I know _that_ ,” I said with a sigh and a facepalm. “And don’t poke fun at my adoptive mother’s spelling when you can’t pronounce ‘telephone’ correctly.”

 

“What? It’s funny.”

 

“Never said it wasn’t.”

 

After writing a quick thank you note, I got up and headed to the Owlery to mail it since I had a free period after lunch. On the way there, Bella and a boy with long blonde hair tripped me. I glared up them.

 

“Well, look what we have here, Lucius,” Bella jeered. “The Gryffindor mudblood-lover.”

 

Lucius shot me a nasty grin. “What’s this she has?” he asked, snatching Kambria’s letter and reading it aloud. “‘ _Dear Andy, I have deposited the money in your Gingrotts school account._ ’”

 

Bella guffawed. “This one must be a mudblood. Only a filthy muggle would spell Gringotts like that.”

 

“Well, you know what Druella says, Bellatrix,” Lucius said sneeringly, shoving the letter back in my face. “Filth attracts to filth.”

 

A wave of anger surged through me. I got up, fists clenched. “Then no wonder you two are friends,” I growled.

 

“What...did you say?” he snarled.

 

“You heard me,” I said smartly. “You’re not deaf.”

 

Lucius raised his hand and looked ready to slap me, but I grabbed his arm and smirked.

 

“Come on, slapping people isn’t courteous.”

 

“People who are friends with mudbloods and blood traitors deserve to be slapped.”

 

Before I could stop myself (which I wouldn’t have anyway), I swung my arm at him and slapped him across the face. Lucius staggered backwards, looking slightly shocked. I felt a rush of satisfaction when I saw that I had made a red mark on his cheek. Bella’s hand had moved towards her wand pocket.

 

Regaining his composure after a few seconds, the Slytherin glowered at me. “I thought you said slapping people isn’t courteous,” he told me sneeringly, his hand gripping his wand.

 

Silently cursing myself for striking an older student when they clearly knew more magic than me and would have no problem hexing me into next month, I forced a leer onto my face. “You don’t deserve my courtesy,” I spat, before walking away with my head held high.

 

I ended up hiding in a small alcove located in a deserted corridor, figuring no one would find me there. In fact, it seemed like no had been in that corridor for years; there were no classrooms in sight; the place was covered in cobwebs and dust; and it gave off an eery feeling. Even though it was the afternoon and you could clearly see rays of sunshine coming through the windows, the place reminded me of a dark alleyway.

 

I sat there for a few moments, mulling over what had just happened. When Professor Flitwick told me I was a witch, he warned me that I might face persecution due to the fact that I was raised by muggles. He said that was what this whole war was about; Voldemort didn’t like muggles for some reason and because he’s a psychopath, he took it out on them by starting a war. The people who didn’t give a d*mn about who your parents are were on the good side, and the prejudice pricks like Lucius and Bella were on Voldemort’s side. It was kind of like Hitler and World War Two. Hitler was like, “I don’t like Jews, so I’m gonna wipe them all out! Go me!”

 

That’s f*iked up logic right there. And this is coming from the girl who generally has no logic.

 

Anyway, the point is, I had seen this whole pureblood supremacy thing coming, but I didn’t realize how bad it would be. I mean, what’s so bad about being a muggle-born?! With the right amount of training, Lil could kick all of their *sses if she wanted to!

 

While I was thinking about all these things, a ghost popped out of the wall, and I’m not ashamed to say that I flipped my shit.

 

“What the fuck?!” I exclaimed, nearly jumping out of my skin and shrinking against the wall behind me.

 

“Oh, sorry,” said the ghost. He had shoulder length hair that was slicked back and eyes that had an empty look inside them--as if they hadn’t seen another human being in years. “Did I startle you?”

 

“No fucking shit, Sherlock!” I snapped. “Scared me half to death!”

 

“Well, I thought you’d be able to sense that I was coming,” he began hastily. “What with that locket and all--”

 

“What has my locket got to do with anything?”

 

“I mean, aren’t you a--” The ghost suddenly stopped himself mid sentence and groaned.

 

“Aren’t I a _what_?” I questioned, now curious. Maybe this ghost could tell me who my actual family was.

 

He didn’t answer.

 

“Well?” I demanded. “Spit it out!”

 

“Nothing,” he told me. “Forget I said anything.

 

“You know for a ghost that just scared the sh*t outta me, you don’t seem eager to talk,” I huffed, hands on my hips.

 

“Well, I don’t usually talk to anyone at all!” he said indignantly, his eyes flashing. It wowed me how someone could go from being indecisive as fu ck to chewing my head off in two point five seconds. Then again, I supposed that was how I acted as well.  “All _I_ had intended to do was ask you why you‘re in _my_ alcove and spend the rest of my day in peace!”

 

“ _Your_ alcove?”

 

“Yes, well, I suppose it’s mine,” he replied, maintaining his haughty expression. “No one else has ever come in here before you.”

 

“Don’t you get lonely or bored?” I asked, imagining how boring all those times in my room would’ve been if I didn’t have my books. I’d’ve gone crazy!

 

“Oh, no, I like it this way. I’ve never been a very social person. Anyway, what _are_ you doing here?”

 

“Well,” I told him, “these two bitchy Slytherins called my best friend and I mudbloods, I slapped one of them, and then realized they knew more magic than me, so here I am now.”

 

“Ah,” he said. “Do these two Slytherins happen to go by the names Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Black?”

 

“Yup! How’d you know?”

 

“Lucius has a bullying streak,” the ghost explained. “Bullying first years, calling people mudbloods whenever he can. And young Bellatrix happily followed his footsteps. I don’t know how he ended up being a prefect. I honestly think Dumbledore was drunk on firewhiskey when he made _that_ decision.”  


I snickered. “Agreed.”

 

“So, er…” He shifted awkwardly. “...what’s your name?”

 

“Andrea. But you can call me Andy. Yours?”

 

“Mason,” he said. Then he added with a smile, “But you can call me Mace.”

 

“Mace like the spray that people use when they’re being attacked?” I joked. “Should I spray you in people’s faces when they’re being b*tchy to me?”

 

“Oh, yes, I’d love for you to do that,” Mason replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Maybe you can make me into a brand.”

 

“Just imagine it. Ghostly Mason, a mace that has haunted the bravest and fiercest since 1971,” I deadpanned.

 

Mason snorted. “I dunno about that, but you know what I do know?”

 

“I don’t. What is it?”

 

He shot me a sly grin. “Fabian and Gideon Prewett have an endless supply of dungbombs, and I’m sure they’ll let you use some if anyone’s be bitchy to you.”

 

 


End file.
